Echoes of the Past
by Adelilah
Summary: Sheriff Rango is once again reunited with his rival-turned-friend, as they and Priscilla takes on a mission from a hotshot businessman. But when the clues leads them as far as to the jungles of Congo, they realize there might be more to this case than they thought. And Dirt faces its own problems with Bad Bill and his gang, and Blake with someone supposed to be his son; Niño.
1. A Visitor

… **Y'all ready?**

***** Chapter One : A Visitor*****

_**22 years ago, somewhere in the Rocky Mountains...**_

_The sun had since long set beyond the mountains, and the little valley was covered in shadows. The only little glint of light came from the billions of stars on the sky and from a small, log cabin in a clearing of the woods. _

_In the little two-roomed cabin, there were two creatures; a female sitting by the table and nervously picked with the sleeves of her longsleeved, dark gray dress, while the male aimlessly sauntered back in front of the fireplace. Both were young aye-ayes, even called shadowfolk, not normally from around these areas. In fact, they weren't even from this continent! Their tails were long and fluffy, their eyes large and round, and they had little to no fur at all around their noses, ears and hands. A look that scared most people in the place they were from as they were said to be evil sorcerers, and brings death and misfortune wherever they go!_

_The male paused and ran his hand through his wavy, black hair and hopelessly shook his head. "I don't get it... I still just don't get it!" He thought out loud to himself, and the female carefully looked up at him with a concerned frown. "How can they have found us?! W-we're nowhere near the island! We're in the middle of nowhere straight across the sea! HOW could they have found us here?!"_

"_Tovi..." The female said, but her husband just shook his head with a deep sigh in response._

"_Wh-what if it's all Avalonas doing?! If she somehow has managed to trace us-...!" Tovi paused and turned to the female. "Samara, we HAVE to get outta here!"_

"_Huh? But what about Rango?" She asked in return and slowly shook her head. "We've already sent him the letter, we can't just leave now!"_

"_We have to! And it's not like he's going to be happy when he comes here and realizes we've lied to him anyway..." Tovi grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck. "Perhaps it was a pretty dumb idea to send that letter after all, he's not even going to get it anytime soon..." He looked up from the floor and at his mate. "Besides, I can't let them get a hold of you! I'm not worried about me; I'm the son of a noble AND Avalonas apprentice, there's no way they'll throw me in jail! But you're just..." He trailed off, unable to finish the last sentence._

"_A Whitecoat, I know..." Samara finished instead of him and stood up with a sigh._

"_And they won't just throw you in the dungeon and be happy with that!" _

"_I know that too, Tovi" She walked up to him and took his hands. "But that's not what I'm scared off..." She averted her eyes and glanced over at the cradle by the furthest wall. "It's what they'll do to HER that scares me... She'll be even lower than a Whitecoat, because she isn't even allowed to exist in the first place! We did a very stupid thing, Tovi, we shouldn't have gone against the way things were!" Tovi silently put his arms around her and laced his fingers into her long, silver hair, but didn't say anything. "I love you, Tovi... I love you both! But we broke several of the main laws, that's unforgivable! Not only because you're a Mage and I'm a Whitecoat, but also because we left the island without permission AND we had a child!"_

"_Dumbass laws were made to be broken" Tovi finally replied with a bitter growl. "I've got an idea on how we might be able to get rid of them, but..." He glanced over at the cradle as well and clenched his jaw._

"_But what?"_

"_But I don't think she could be taken along..." His wife suddenly pushed away and looked up at him with a bewildered face. "It's too dangerous, and we would have to travel far and fast!"_

"_A-are you saying we should... Abandon her?!" Samara shook her head. "We can't do that! In our world, she might not be allowed to exist, but here-...!"_

"_Samara, we won't abandon her" Tovi tried to smile reassuringly and shook his head. "We'll just have to leave her for a while. A couple of months, perhaps" He turned his eyes away. "Or maybe a year..." But when he noticed that she had lowered her head as well, he looked back up at her. He gently stuck his finger under her chin and tilted her head up, forcing her to look at him again. "But we won't abandon her, ever!" He let out a short laugh. "Even if it might be her fault that we're in this mess!"_

"_Pfft..." She let out a mix of a snort and a chuckle and leaned her head in his hand. "No, the reason we're in this mess from the start is because I spilled wine on you... The day you were chosen too!" They both chuckled lowly at the memory, but then she turned her head away again and looked at the cradle, where their daughter were still fast asleep. "But, what should we do with her? We can't just leave her here..."_

_Tovi was quiet for a while, thinking. "You think you could ask Wounded Bird when he returns? He's the only one I could ever leave her to and I know that he wouldn't let anything happen to her!"_

"_I thought you didn't trust those 'feather-bearing, hooknosed savages?'" She couldn't help but to smile at him, and her smile only grew wider when his cheeks turned faint red._

"_Okay, I don't trust the feather-bearing, hooknosed savages EXCEPT for Wounded Bird!" He mumbled and rolled his eyes. "Besides, he's the only one on our side right now. If we wait for Rango, we're gonna have to wait for a very long time, and I KNOW they'll have found us here by then!"_

_Samara slowly nodded her head. "I'll talk to him" She promised, just as the door was opened and a tall, dark silhouette stepped inside. _

_Tovi instinctively reached for the rifle leaning against the wall, but when he noticed that it was only Wounded Bird who returned, he stopped mid-air. He slowly straightened up and cleared his throat. "So, how does it look?" He asked, nervous to know the answer._

_The crow shook his head. "There are more of the ones in robes now. They are ransackin' the town!" _

_Tovi and Samara exchanged glances with each other. Both knew that they would have to leave soon, maybe even tonight! Suddenly they both jumped in surprise as a hiccuping sound was heard from the cradle, followed by the unhappy cries that alerted them that their daughter had woken up. Samara sighed and was about to tend to her needs when Tovi stopped her by putting a hand on her shoulder. _

"_I'll take care of it, you go ahead and talk to him" He told her, and she hesitated before nodding slowly and asked Wounded Bird to join her by the table. _

_While she told the Crow-indian their plans, Tovi walked up to the cradle to see what was wrong this time; she dropped her pacifier. Of course... He picked the little baby up in his arms and sat down on an armchair by the fire, waiting for her to fall back asleep and listened to Samara and Wounded Birds discussion. He wanted to know what was going on, and what those robed men wanted from them. But they both felt that they couldn't tell him everything about their past. Not just yet..._

_He looked down at his daughter, and smiled as he carefully rocked her to sleep. She was barely half a year old yet, but she had already her fathers wavy, raven black hair, and her mothers round, amber-colored eyes. A year and a half ago, all he would have wished for was to become Great Mage Avalonas apprentice, marry his betrothed, Neela and make his family proud. But that seemed like a whole lifetime ago. Now, he would give anything just to watch his daughter grow up into the beautiful woman he knew she would be, without him and his family having to hide from place to place to avoid getting captured by their own people._

"_We're sorry, little one..." Tovi whispered as his daughter slowly fell asleep again with the pacifier in her mouth. "But mom and dad will only be away for a little while, just hang in there and be nice to uncle Birdface while we're gone, okay?" He felt a lump starting to form in his chest and his throat tightened up, making it harder to talk. He grinded his teeth tightly and clenched his eyes shut as he carefully hugged his daughter. "We love you, Priscilla, both mom and I love you so much!"_

…

**Present Day, the Mojave Desert...**

Far beyond the horizon, the sun was slowly climbing its way up on the desert sky. The shadows of the night were getting chased away by the morning light, and the little oasis town in the heart of the Mojave desert slowly rustled to life.

A lonely shadow, riding a roadrunner slowly emerged on the horizon and headed straight for the town with the sun in his back. He first rode by the livery stable to leave his roadrunner, before sleepily make his way to the sheriffs office at the other end of the street.

A few early birds were already up and prepared their shops to be opened, and when they saw their sheriff Rango walk past them, they all waved and said their usual: "G'mornin' sheriff!" Rango didn't have much choice but to wave back.

When he stood in front of the door to the office and rummaged for the keys, he let out a loud yawn. He had never been much for waking up early in the mornings, and since he married Beans and moved to live with her on her familys ranch he had been more or less forced to go up even earlier, because of the distance between the ranch and the town! But when he found and inserted the key, he frowned and looked around. Someone was missing; Priscilla, his deputy of five years. She was usually first one on spot and hated to be late for work, but since two years back she every now and then has the habit of oversleeping, sometimes for as long as a couple of hours! But then again, he knew the reason she overslept, and that was why he rarely ever confronted her about it; it was a pretty good reason.

Rango entered the office and did his usual morning routine before slumping down on his chair, resting his feet on his desk and tilt the brim of his hat down over his big eyes. He thought it wouldn't hurt to take a few minutes nap, Dirt, or New Dirt, had always been a pretty calm place since he became sheriff, except for what had happened three years ago.

He looked up from under the brim and looked at the billboard where the wanted posters were. Three years had passed since this sheriffs office was newly built, and many wanted posters of various criminals had both been picked down and put up, but there was one gang who had remained in the corner, untouched: the Campbell Gang, a gang of bountyhunters led by the notorious Rango. The FIRST Rango!

Sheriff Rango once again let his eyes travel over the familiar faces: Durango 'Rango' Campbell, Hicks Red, Eustaquio 'Flitch' Flores and his brother Chavez 'Fledge' Flores, Coral Campbell, Andrew 'Scrange' Alistair and Bentley the Nutcase. Nobody knew where they were now, except for one who was said to have left the gang: Bentley, the hyena. And seeing as Priscilla hadn't arrived yet, chances were good that Bentley now was in Dirt.

He had no idea how that had happened, as he wasn't there at the time, but somehow his deputy, who had been all work and no play ever since her teens, had fallen in love with one of the outlaws who besieged their town. And not just any ordinary outlaw; a bat-shit crazy ex-slave with the mind of a child and serious self-control issues. But he was a pretty nice fellow, and it had been so painfully obvious to everyone that he loved her just as much in return.

Rango wasn't all too involved with their current relationship, but what he did know was that every now and then he would be around the town to visit her, and he had actually had a run-in with the hyena a few times. The other Rango and his gang might have started out as enemies of the town, but somehow they had changed once Dirt got another, more powerful enemy, and were now more or less friends to sheriff Rango and some of Dirts citizens. Which was why Bentley was never arrested, even if he was wanted for the gangs previous crimes. Personally, Rango had absolutely nothing against the boy, but it was the company he sometimes attracted that worried.

The rumors that one of the Campbell Gangs members was hanging out in Dirt had quickly spread in the West, and the bountyhunter activity had never been this high in the area! Sometimes they would have a visit from bountyhunters, both those who worked alone and in teams, and they had an habit of causing troubles for folks when they searched for more information. It was also rumored that the wanted outlaw and the deputy had a thing for each other, and that naturally led to that Priscilla was especially targeted by bountyhunters. But the few ones who actually chose to take a more offensive approach against the young woman, soon found out the hard way that the female deputy wasn't to be underestimated; not only was the very lithe built woman quicker and more flexible than the men, she was stronger than she looked and enough punches from her could knock anyone unconscious! Besides, she always wore a knife and at least two revolvers, making her twice as dangerous so she didn't even need to use her fists most of the times. So Rango knew he shouldn't worry about her, she could take care of herself! There was only one thing that nagged on his mind every time a bountyhunter came by, looking for either her or Bentley himself; she wasn't invincible, and sooner or later she would encounter someone who was stronger and quicker than her, and then what? Would the town be able to step in for her, or would she get kidnapped and used as a bait to lure Bentley out?

He must have dozed off, because when a strangers voice made him snap back to reality it was almost noon. "Uh, sheriff? Sheeeriff?"

"We're not in Kansas anymore!" Rango exclaimed as he jolted awake, and startled the stranger, a very formally dressed, short and chubby ring-tailed cat with a bowler hat on his head and small, round glasses that constantly slid down on his nose. "Oh, sorry 'bout that..."

"Errm, no, we're in Nevada..." The stranger muttered and pushed his glasses back up and corrected his hat. "Now, you ARE sheriff Rango, right?"

…

On one of the older streets was Priscillas little house. It looked pretty much like the rest of the houses in the area; square with a front porch, freshly painted white with brownish red roof tiles, except it only had one floor and there wasn't much of a yard surrounding it. The sun shone into the bedroom through a small window on the side, and the only sound that was heard was the slow breathing of the young female aye-aye still sound asleep on a newer wide bed. But she wasn't alone.

Priscilla woke up when the one next to her moved. She was lying on her side, all curled up, and kept her eyes shut as a big, pawlike hand moved to rest on her hip. She didn't do anything to stop the faint smile that spread on her lips.

"So, you're back, huh?" She said lowly, almost whispering. It was more of a statement than a question.

"Mhm..." Bentley replied and let his arm fall down around her waist instead.

"When?" She found his hand and laced her fingers together with his, still without opening her eyes.

"Last night"

"I didn't hear ya come back last night"

"That's b'cause ya were already asleep back there, Sleepin' Beauty" He added with a low chuckle and squeezed her hand. "Didn't wanna wake ya up, ya might shoot me y'know..." She didn't say anything, she just smiled in return and scooted back, closer to him.

If someone had told her three years ago that she would one day fall in love with an outlaw and even break a few rules just to be with him, she would just have laughed a dry laugh and maybe even shoot the son of a gun who said it in the foot. But then the legendary bountyhunter Rango and his gang came to their town, and she met Bentley the Nutcase hyena. Even if it was HE who was the one with the feelings first, it didn't take long until she found herself falling in love as well. Today, she couldn't imagine a life without him.

Bentley had left Rangos gang shortly after he was reunited with Priscilla again after ten long months, and had gotten a job as a messenger for some organization he never could remember the name of (either that, or they just never told him). As a messenger, his job was simple: deliver letters and packages from his boss in the town Tuskagee on the border of the desert, to whoever his boss said, and since he was familiar with the Mojave desert, that's where he mainly was sent. And that meant that he could swing by and visit Priscilla whenever he was nearby. Sometimes he made the deliveries as fast as he could just so he could stay a few days extra with her.

Not that his boss or any of the others seemed to mind if he was late a couple of days for visiting his girl, in fact, the only thing they demanded of him was that he made the deliveries on time and wore a red sash around his waist at all times. He couldn't help but to think that the red sash thing was a bit odd though, and it seemed to alarm Priscilla since she found the red sash familiar, but she just couldn't remember why. But according to one of his associates, a frillneck lizard called Lewis, it was just a symbol to show that he was in the organization. And as long as this job made it possible for him to see his girl on a regular basis, he didn't care what the hell the dress code was. As long as he would be able to see Priscilla without having to wait ten months, he wouldn't even mind having to wear a porcupine on his head and crocs on his feet.

Although sometimes he really missed the guys. He hadn't seen them for almost two years, and the last thing he heard about them was that Scrange was leaving to go back to England, apparently his mother had died as well and now his sisters wanted him to come back. Rango, Hicks and the others were still hiding out somewhere in Mexico, completely gone from the face of the Earth. But hopefully he would see them again, someday...

This time, he had returned shortly after midnight, just after delivering a letter and a small package to some funny-smelling, red sash wearing guy in Dry Creek. He had a copy of the key to her house, since she got tired of him climbing through the windows to get inside (even if he still would do it sometimes just for the heck of it), and he didn't even need any light to see that she was sleeping in her bed. Even if it only had been a week since he saw her the last time, it had felt like forever and he had to put a lot of restrain on himself to not just scoop her up and cuddle her, since that would wake her up, and he would probably just end up having to sleep on the porch because of that. Instead he silently slid down underneath the blanket next to her, and almost instantly fell asleep.

He had woken up again just after sunrise, and now when she was awake as well... "So, Prissy..." He cooed and nuzzled her neck. "Ya know what I've missed this entire week?"

"To take yer meds?" She mumbled in response without skipping a beat, and let go of his hand to stick hers back underneath the pillow. She knew exactly what it was he wanted, but it was way too early and she was way too tired for that now!

He chuckled lowly. "Meds are for weaklings, besides, I think ya know what I'm talkin' 'bout..." She held back a restrained sigh as he began to plant kisses along her shoulder and neck. "Pretty please?" He had a pleading tone in his voice, and she bet that if she would turn around she would see the biggest and roundest puppy-eyes anyone could ever have.

"No" She shook her head and nudged herself deeper into the bed. "It's too early, Bentley!"

"Nakupenda!"

"That won't change my answer!"

"But I'm gonna have to leave later t'day, and then it'll probably be another week 'til I see ya again!"

"Good! More peace an' quiet for me then!"

"Aww pleeeease, Prissy? Baby? Sweetie? Hunny-bunny? Love?" He kept nuzzling and kissing her, despite her annoyed growls. "Center of my universe? My angel? Goddess?"

"God damn it, Bentley! No!" She finally exclaimed and turned around to face him. "I AIN'T gonna make ya pancakes for breakfast an' that's FINAL!"

"Pleeeeeeeeease?" He begged again, and she sighed and turned her back to him again. "But yer pancakes are the best! And I'm hungry! I haven't eaten anythin' since yesterday mornin'!"

"You're always hungry, Bentley! That ain't somethin' new!"

"Aw c'mon..." He said and leaned over her, letting one of his hands rest on the mattress just next to her side for support. "What do I gotta do to convince ya, huh?" He had gotten a tired tone in his voice as he bent his head down and brushed his lips along her temple. "Besides, ya stole my heart, girl! And pancakes is the only acceptable substitute!"

She had to chuckle at that one. That one was new! "Yeah, well ya stole my pride, an' I reckon that's a fair trade, ain't it?"

He snorted. "No!"

_Knock, knock, knock..._

Suddenly she heard something coming from somewhere on the outside, and she tensed up as her eyes sprung open. "Wh-what was that?"

"It was my belly... It's empty, and wants to be filled with pancakes!"

"No, it came from the door!" She saw the sun shining through the windows and frowned, slightly turning her head to look at him again. "What time is it?"

"It's time for pancakes!"

"Seriously Bentley!"

"I dunno..." He shrugged. "Almost noon, perhaps?"

Priscilla took a couple of seconds to let that sink in. _I've slept 'til noon?!_ When another round of knocks was heard from the door a second time, she cursed and quickly jumped out of bed. "Why didn't you wake me up sooner?!" She exclaimed in panic and was about to head towards the door when she noticed she was wearing nothing but her nightshirt.

"But, ya look so sweet when you sleep!" Bentley answered lowly and dragged himself up in a sitting position.

"I can't keep oversleepin' like this!" She said, sounding flustered as she looked for something to cover herself up with. "Rango's gonna fire me sooner or later! And I do NOT wanna end up as a saloongirl for the rest of my life!" Three more knocks were heard from the door. "HOLD ON, I'M COMIN'!" She hollered at the door and yanked the blanket off the bed before Bentley had any time to brace himself for the cold air.

She ignored the unmanly scream from Bentley as the blanket was yanked off him and wrapped it around her before making her way to the hall. She hurried to open the door, and was not surprised to see sheriff Rango standing there. He tilted his head at the side when he saw the just-woke-up look on her face.

"Slept well, I presume?" He said, and her cheeks blushed in a faint, red color as she wrapped the blanket tighter around her.

"I-I'm real' sorry, sheriff!" She hurried to apologize. "Th-this won't happen again! I swear on it this time! Please don't fire me!"

Rango held up both his hands in front of him and chuckled. "Calm down! I'm not gonna fire you! However..." He lowered his hands and nodded towards the town. "I'd like you to hurry down to the sheriffs station right now! There's a gentleman here who'd like to have a word with us"

Priscilla nodded, but then frowned in concern. "It ain't another one of them bountyhunters lookin' for Bentley, is it?"

The chameleon laughed. "Are you kiddin'?! This man is more concerned about his suit getting dirty than outlaws like him!" He said with an amused shake of his head. "So you can tell him that the streets are bountyhunter-free for today!"

"Sure! Wait, how did you know he's...?" Without her having to finish the sentence, Rango pointed to the side of the house. She peeked around and saw the tall, dark brown roadrunner. Grumpy was tied to the kitchens windowsill, and he looked bored out of his mind. "Oookay..." She said lingering and turned back to the sheriff.

"That, and you're never late when he's NOT here... Anyway, just get dressed and I'll see you down at the office" Rango said and tipped his hat at her before he turned around and left.

Priscilla drew a sigh of relief as she closed the door. Barely avoided getting fired once again! But she didn't want to make this into a habit; even sheriff Rango must have a limited amount of patience with her. She walked back into the bedroom to get dressed, and was met by Bentley, who sat on the edge of the bed with a disappointed look on his face.

"So, no pancakes?" He said, he had heard the entire conversation.

She shook her head and threw the blanket back on the bed. Then she walked over to the wardrobe and picked out another one of her shirts and a pair of jeans to wear. Usually, she would order Bentley to either get out of the room or turn around while she changed, but just this morning everything just happened too quick for her to bother. Besides, there wasn't an inch of her that he already hadn't seen. But just as she was buttoning her shirt in front of a full length mirror, she saw Bentley stalk up to her and wrap his arms around her waist from behind.

"When will you be back then?" He mumbled and leaned his left cheek against her head, staring at their reflections in the mirror.

She shrugged. "When I quit later tonight I guess..." She added with a sigh and glanced up at him. "When are ya leavin'?"

He shrugged as well. "It depends... This afternoon perhaps... They told me not to linger for more than five days after delivery, and it takes three days to reach Tuskagee..." He sighed sadly and looked down. But when he noticed the cleavage caused by her halfway buttoned shirt, he grinned slyly. "But I COULD say that traffic was slow, and stay a couple of days!"

She gave him a flat look and buttoned the rest of the shirt. She then writhed out of his arms and picked up the gunbelt, which was thrown over the back of a chair, and buckled it loosely around her hips. But just as she was on her way to get her hat and head for the office, Bentley grabbed her hand and stopped her.

"Hey! I think you forgot somethin'..." He cooed and slowly reeled her in.

She yanked her hand free and chuckled. "Yeah, you're right!" She said and with that, she walked back to the mirror, picked out a leather strap and tied her messy hair up as she used to; in a ball by the neck. When she glanced behind her in the mirror, she saw Bentley with a disappointed frown and couldn't help but to chuckle again. "You've forgotten somethin' too, ya know; yer clothes!"

He looked down at himself and noted that he wasn't wearing anything else but his underwear. He shrugged. "Meh, I'll get dressed later" He said nonchalantly.

"Really? What if someone walks by an' sees you?" She teased and turned around.

He snorted and put his hands on his hips. "Then, seein' me naked will be their punishment for peepin' into my girls house!" When she laughed out a short laugh, he couldn't help but to snicker as well.

"Well, I better get goin'..." She said with a sigh and did a last, quick check in the mirror. She wasn't surprised at all when Bentley hurried to block the doorway.

"You shall not pass!" He sad seriously when she walked up to him and folded her arms. "There's one more thing you need to do" He added with a sly grin and lowered his head when she put her hand on his cheek.

She rolled her eyes before reaching up and kissed him on the mouth. As their lips locked, he took his hands down from the sides of the doorway and wrapped them around her instead, pushing her closer to him and deepening the kiss. He could stay like this forever, but she was already a few hours late and to his disappointment, she pulled away pretty soon.

"Now I HAVE to go, Bentley" She said and shouldered past him after he slowly let his arms slide down to his sides. She quickly pulled her boots on and stopped with her hand on the door handle. She turned around to him and smiled. "I love ya"

He returned the smile with another one of his toothy grins. "I love ya more!"

"No you don't!" She laughed and hurried to escape before they were stuck in another one of those 'I-love-you-most' arguments that never ended.

"Yes I do!" Bentley mused and remained on the place as he watched her vanish down the street through the window in the hallway. When she was out of his sight, he sighed and looked down at the floor. "I love ya so much..." He said with a low mumble and went back to the bedroom.

With another heavy sigh he flopped down on the bed and hugged her pillow, a smile formed in the corners of his mouth when he felt her scent that still lingered. It wasn't until afternoon he had to go, and the sheriff had said that the streets were bountyhunter free today, so maybe it wouldn't hurt if he swung past the office and payed her a little visit? He looked down at his underwear and figured that it would probably be better if he got dressed first. Sure, they might be his favorite pair of boxers, but the townspeople might not agree if they saw him. Plus Prissy would probably want him to wear at least a pair of pants before going out in public this time...

Suddenly he heard an angry squawk on the outside and something that pecked against the kitchen window. He cursed when he remembered that he had forgotten Grumpy on the outside and jolted out of bed, before the bird decides to kill him once and for all!

**And so it begins, MWAHAHAHAHAAA! **

**The awaited sequel to Snakes with Guns is finally here, and MAN I look forward to this! And I really hope you guys do it too ;)!**

**Anyways, y'all know that a little review is always appreciated, hope you'll enjoy this story and I hope to see y'all next chapter again ;P!**


	2. The Soulmates

**Chapter two :D! And it's already getting mushy o_o"...**

**Sorry for the wait, been busy as hell and MAN was this was nearly impossible to come up with a good title for -.-!**

***** Chapter Two : The Soulmates *****

Priscilla jogged all the way through the newly built town to the sheriffs office. She was already late and it didn't look good, especially not now when they had a visitor! Before she entered through the door, she stopped to correct a strand of hair that fell into her eyes and dusted off her clothes. So far, her first impression as the deputy hadn't been all too great, the least she could do was try to not look like she just got out of bed. Which she actually had...

She took a deep breath and stepped through the door, instantly sheriff Rango and their visitor snapped their heads to her. "Uhm..." She cleared her throat. "I'm real' sorry I'm late..." She said lowly and hurried to scurry to her usual spot; behind Rangos chair with her back leaned against the wall and arms crossed.

"Oh it's alright, it's understandable after all that paperwork you did last night!" Rango said with a wink at her.

She nodded and pretended that she didn't notice it. "Yeah... The paperwork..."

"Now, maybe we can get on to business?" The visitor, a chubby ringtailed cat said and pushed the little round glasses back up on his nose. He had a briefcase in his lap and a bowler hat on his head, apparently he tried his best to look as important as possible. "As I just said, my name is Phidias, Nicholas Phidias. I was sent here on account of my employer, perhaps you've heard of him; Frederick Murdoch?"

Priscilla immediately nodded. "He's the one who owns the Murdoch Tradin' Company, ain't he?"

Rango didn't say anything as Nicholas nodded. She probably knew more than him about things like this anyway...

"Yes, and Mr Murdoch has a preposition for you two and another man"

"A preposition? What does he want?" Priscilla asked before Rango could open his mouth. "And who is this other man?"

"That is something which you'll have to take up with Mr Murdoch. I am just a messenger, here to ask the two of you to come with me to see Mr Murdoch himself"

"Why couldn't he come and see us himself?"

"Because he's busy of course!"

"Don't he think we'll be busy as well?" Priscilla cocked an eyebrow while Rango boringly leaned his elbows on his desk and played with a pencil. He barely even began to open his mouth before his deputy already had finished her sentence. "We're the only two lawmen in a growin' town, which also lately has been like a magnet for outlaws. Who knows might happen if we both leave to meet with some businessman in a faraway town?"

"Actually, it's not THAT far away; his office is in Tuskagee City, only three days away!" Nicholas fingered on the handles on his briefcase.

Priscilla didn't budge. _Tuskagee? That's where Bentley works as well! But, we just couldn't leave Dirt now... Can we?_

"Now, if I may ask you something, Mr Phidias..." Rango hurried to say before Priscilla got to it first again. "What is it he want from us? Do you know ANYTHING about it? Because we'd really like to know that if we come with you, will it be worth it?"

"Well..." Nicholas pondered for a while. "I think he has a mission for you, and I bet he'll pay you handsomely too! But as I said, you'll have to ask Mr Murdoch himself about it. I'm just a messenger! Oh, and he told me that you would ask just that, and he told me to tell you that it will most certainly be worth your time!"

Priscilla was still a bit hesitant, but she didn't get to speak her mind because right then, a dark brown diamondback female poked her head in through the door and made both Rango and Mr Phidias jolt in a startled fashion.

"Yo, Cowgirl!" Jolene hollered at Priscilla and her loud, raspy voice bounced in the little office. "There's a real' bad lookin' guy in the saloon lookin' for ya! I'd love to take care of him myself, but I need to take lil' Roderick home. He's already threw up on two other kids an' I really don't wanna clean up more of his mess!"

Priscilla grimaced and nodded. "I'll be right there, Jo!" She said with a sigh. Great, another bountyhunter looking for Bentley, probably... "Duty calls, I'll be right back!" She tipped her hat at the sheriff and walked out through the door and continued the opposite direction of where Jolene were headed with the little sick rodent boy.

After both her and Jolene left, Nicholas was left in shock and slowly turned to the sheriff. "W-w-was that j-just...?"

"Rattlesnake-Jolene? The Grim Reapers fast-shooting little sister?" The chameleon nodded, slightly amused by the fancy ringtails expression. "Yup! She's our daycare-lady!"

…

The sun had just set when Priscilla finally stumbled back into her house. That bountyhunter she encountered earlier today had been looking for her, hoping that she could be lured or forced into giving him information about Bentleys whereabouts. But instead, he got two bullets lodged in his arm and a broken jaw. That Nicholas Phidias-guy had nearly messed his perfectly clean pants when she passed through the office to get to the jailhouse at the back with a bleeding and staggering outlaw in cuffs.

She kicked her boots off in the hallway and hung her hat on the wall, and noticed that both Bentleys hat and coat was gone. She let out a low sigh of disappointment and walked into the kitchen, and as usual found a note on the table:

"_So, yeah the house is pretty empty now huh? I remembered that my boss had a special task for me as soon as I'd get back, and he'd pretty much kill me to death if I didn't return on time. Sorry..._

_Please don't worry if I'm not back in a month or so! I've got a feeling this 'mission'-thingy is gonna take a while..._

_But I just wanna tell you that I love you! As in; REALLY frickin' ADORE you! And I'll be back as soon as I can JUST because I love you! And your pancakes! They are awesome! And your butt is pretty cute too... But most I love you! _

_See you later!_

_You-know-who (NOT the guy without a nose!)"_

She smiled and shook her head at the note before leaving it on the table. She knew he likely would be gone by the time she got back, but she still felt disappointed that he didn't stay at least one more night. They had only been together for a short moment this morning, and last week he had only been able to stay for the day! Perhaps she shouldn't complain, he WAS wanted since a couple of years back after all, and it was a wonder that he hadn't been caught already! And she was lucky that she just had to wait a few weeks between each visit, but she really wanted him to stay more than a few days next time. She wanted him to stay forever...

With another resigned sigh, she locked her eyes on the fruitbowl on the kitchen counter and felt her stomach rumble hungrily. She hadn't had the time for breakfast, and her lunch had been consisting of a glass over at Bufords saloon and a sandwich. As her stomach growled a second time, she walked over to the bowl to get her hands on a snack. But the bowl was almost empty; a pair of small apples and a lonely orange. Bentley once said he had a love-hate relationship with oranges; it was impossible to peel them and cutting them open would only squirt juice in his eyes, not to mention the orange always gave him unpleasant surprises in the shapes of seeds, but despite all that, he could probably eat a whole barrel of them. She wouldn't be surprised if it had been him who now had 'borrowed' all her oranges too.

She took the last orange with a third sigh and did a mental note to herself to go shopping the next day. But then, as she popped a slice of the orange in her mouth, she remembered that she wouldn't get the time to go shopping tomorrow; while she was away to deal with the bountyhunter, sheriff Rango and Mr Phidias had talked and Rango had eventually agreed to go see Mr Murdoch in person. The three of them were to travel for Tuskagee tomorrow noon, her adoptive father Wounded Bird and Rattlesnake-Jolene had already agreed on taking the roles as the two stand-in lawmen while they were away. Priscilla wasn't sure whether she should be annoyed at Rango for agreeing to go on such a journey they didn't even know the purpose of, or excited; chances were high that she would meet Bentley in Tuskagee, maybe they would even meet up on the way there? She grinned while thoughtfully chewing on the orange slice. Man would Bentley be surprised!

_Crunch_. Speaking of surprises...

She cursed and spat out the seed in the palm of her hand before throwing it in the trash. Oranges were delicious, if it weren't just for those pesky seeds...

...

Priscilla finished the orange, made herself another sandwich and a cup of tea before going to bed. While she switched clothes, her thoughts once again wandered off to Bentley. That bountyhunter she encountered today was just one of many who had been searching for Bentley, and the ones who wanted to use her to get him were increasing! Everyone who came to Dirt, directly searching for Priscilla, said that they just wanted information out of her. But she knew that they weren't so stupid that they actually thought she would give them what they wanted in exchange for money and a couple of nice words. Only whores did that, and she sure as hell wasn't planning on becoming one. She knew that they much rather would use her as a bait to catch him. Use HER to get to him! And they wouldn't be the first ones to come up with that idea...

She walked over to the full length mirror by the wall and slowly moved the shirt from her shoulder, revealing a big, star shaped scar. A flashback from when she was shot went through her mind as she ran her fingers along the scars edges. She still remembered the excruciating pain as the bullet went through her shoulder, and the bloodcurdling scream from Bentley still echoed. She had been used by others who wanted to get to Bentley before, by Johnny Longway, aka Jet, and his two psychopathic henchmen; the Gajerra brothers.

They had threatened to kill her if he didn't reveal to them where he had hidden a certain key, and they almost succeeded to! And he had honestly tried to tell them, but when he gets scared his mind goes into some kind of lockdown, and all he could do was to ramble incoherent nonsense and laugh nervously.

That was just one of the many things she would never forgive the three outlaws for. Not only for putting her through the humiliation of being nothing but a defenseless puppet, but also for the anguish they caused Bentley. His mind had completely snapped, leading him to massacre at least twenty men like some kind of mindless, sadistic killer-machine. They turned her Bentley into a monster, and THAT was unforgivable! And she was sure that it would all happen again if one of the bountyhunters and gunslingers got a hold of her.

She took one of her revolvers from the belt she had hung over the chair by her desk and hid it underneath her pillow. She knew she might just be paranoid about it all, but she felt it was just a matter of time before they found out where she lived and broke into her house in the middle of the night. The least she could do in that case was to bury a couple of bullets in their bodies.

But now she tried to not overthink about it and just go to sleep. She crawled down underneath the covers on her side of the bed and threw a sad look at the empty spot behind her. She sure wouldn't mind having Bentley beside her right now. But since he wasn't here, she crawled over to the nightstand on the other side and began to rummage through the drawer until she found what she was looking for; a voodoo doll. Made from a pale yellow fabric, big button eyes and gray yarn on top of its oversized, stitched head.

With the little doll in her hands, she scooted back to her spot and nudged herself deeper into the sheets, clenching the doll tightly and holding it close to her chest. She smiled faintly and closed her eyes as she carefully played with the dolls yarn hair.

"G'night, Bentley..." She mumbled lowly, as if he was nearby. "I love ya..."

…

Bentley shuddered as the cold night managed to bite through his clothes, coat AND blanket. He muttered something incoherent to himself, wrapped the blanket closer around him and scooted closer to the little fire he made.

He was inside a concrete pipe, a gigantic, human-made concrete pipe. Few dared to cross through the humans towns, which was exactly why he did that. Being on the run from everything and everyone sucked, since he always had to be careful where he went, who he talked to and where he slept. When he rode with Rango, everything was a lot different; they went wherever they wanted to, they talked with whoever they wanted to and they could fall asleep in the middle of the goddamn street if they wanted to! But then of course, they became wanted and now he doubted even 'Rang-Rang' has had a good night sleep for years!

Suddenly, a shrill screech from tires sliding over concrete and loud music, followed up by laughter and foul language interrupted his thoughts and woke Grumpy up. The bird raised the oversized comb on his head and squawked angrily at the noise, and Bentley nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I know... Humans..." He snorted and rubbed his hands together in front of the fire. "They're goddamn crazy, the whole lot of 'em!" His roadrunner gave him a 'you're-the-one-to-talk'-look before tucking his head in under his wing again.

Bentley curiously looked out through the pipe and at what he could see of the human city. Apparently, it was called 'Las Vegas', or something, and it was ginormous! And bright! And there were people everywhere at ANY time of the day! He had heard that humans weren't nocturnal by nature, but the people here in Vegas didn't seem to have gotten that memo, judging from all the ruckus he could hear in the background. In fact, there seemed to be a lot more action going on during the nights than the days! The average casino was about the same size as Dirt, maybe even bigger. The entire city was lit up by neon signs, street lights, traffic lights, the entire buildings etc, and due to this, not a single star was seen on the sky.

This night, Bentley had taken refuge in a construction site, apparently the only calm place in the entire town. Except for the hooligans in a fancy car that just passed. The site had been shut down for the night, but the humans would probably be back early in the morning and Bentley hoped that he would be gone by then. He did NOT wanna find out how the humans would react to finding a talking hyena, only a few inches high by their ridiculously big measurements, sleeping in a pipe! He had heard that their hyenas were a LOT bigger and not bipedal, and weren't much for talking either. In fact, few of 'their' much larger animals did. Seeing how 'well' humans handled things they thought were different, Bentley had decided it would be safest to just keep his distance to them when resting up in one of their towns.

Looking out at 'Las Vegas' one more time, he couldn't help but to wonder what it would be like living like a human in a big city like this: stressful, crowded, noisy... Nah, he preferred Dirt; a cozy little Western town in the heart of the Mojave desert. No loud, ear-raping music, no hooligans in shiny, wheeled metal-monsters, and the only lights at night were the billions of stars strewn across the dark sky. And to just sit next to his Prissy, watching those countless of stars reflect in her large, round, amber colored eyes, the two of them alone surrounded by an empty, shadowy desert landscape, now THAT is where he belonged!

Or was it? He frowned and blew into his hands before putting them down closer to the fire again. No... He didn't belong in the desert... Hell, he didn't even belong here on this continent! His real home was far, FAR away from here! Past the vast Atlantic ocean! Where he belonged, the air was humid and the vegetation thick and so green it would make anyones eyes hurt. The trees were ancient and some of them had trunks so thick that at least ten hunters had to join a ring to reach around. The only noise around were the songs of many colorful birds, and the chattering of the tree-living monkeys and apes. Despite the 23 years he had been stuck here, he still remembered his home so clearly, the only thing he had forgotten was the names and some of the faces of the people who lived in his village. What he wouldn't give to see them again... And his sister... He wanted to see her again so badly, and apologize! After all, it was his fault that their father was murdered, and he had some faint memories that his sister might have tried to kill him for that. But he still wanted to meet her again.

He looked out through the pipe again and tried to see the night sky, but all he saw was a reflection of the lights in the city. No stars... With a sigh he turned back to the fire, and wondered what his sister was doing right now... Perhaps she's at home, just about to leave on a hunt with her pack? Perhaps she's waving goodbye to her mate and cubs as she heads out with a spear in hand? Or maybe she was sold too, but to another slaver? What if she was being held somewhere where they still had slavery, and was forced to work hard just like him?

He tightened the blanket around himself and shuddered again as a cold breeze swept through the pipe and almost blew out the fire. He wanted to go home... To his REAL home! The jungles of Africa! Where he had tried to go ever since he was freed! Where he had longed to return ever since he was kidnapped as a cub and shipped overseas!

But suddenly he felt something soft on the inside of his coat, and pulled out a piece of triangular, dark purple fabric; Priscillas old scarf. The corners of his mouth instantly tugged upwards as he rubbed his thumb over the fabric, it was getting worn and sometimes he accidentally poked a small hole in it with the short, black claws on his fingers. But maybe it wasn't so strange that it was getting tattered: he had kept it with him ever since he got it from her three years ago. Just looking at it made him think that she was always there with him, and he suddenly felt bad for feeling so homesick all of a sudden.

But he did want to go home. To climb the trees once again, feel the leafy earth ground underneath his paws... But what about Prissy? He would NEVER leave her! He wanted to take her with him, he wanted to show her everything he grew up around! He wanted her to follow him and become part of his people, his family! But that would never happen, she loved her own people too much. The town of Dirt meant everything to her, it was HER home! And the people in it were HER family! The last time he had asked, no begged, her to leave her home and follow him, she had said no. Why would this be any different?

He loved Priscilla, and, even if he had yet to ask her, he just knew that he one day would marry her. He remembered that his people used to say that whenever a soul is created, it is split into two halves to be born into separate bodies. The two halves must then find each other to finally become whole again. He hadn't really believed in that, he didn't believe in much nowadays, but that was until he met her.

He had never thought that he'd ever find his soulmate, not here at least, so after he started riding with Rango, he became somewhat addicted to both the saloons whiskey, or cactus juice if they had that, and the women. He made it into a sport to see if he could find a girl before any of the other guys did. Something he deeply regrets after he found his other half; Prissy.

But if he one day was forced to choose between her, or to finally return home, he was torn. He wanted to go home, he wanted to return where he had always belonged! But he didn't want to live a life without Priscilla. That would only be like living a half life, if even that!

Suddenly he felt his left eye twitch, and his hand instantly went up to it. "No!" He said firmly. "Y'ain't gonna go insane on me now, brain! I'm just a lil' emotionally unbalanced right now! No need to get all twitchy and loco 'bout it!"

…

The fire was slowly dying out, and the cold crept closer and closer. Bentley still sat all curled up in the pipe with his back to Grumpy, trying to mooch some bodyheat off the big bird. In his hands he still had Priscillas scarf in a tight grip. His eyes were growing heavier by second as he was trying to force himself to fall asleep. He had to get up before the humans returned, and so far he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. This cold was something extraordinary, it must be winter...

It was cold and noisy, he was hungry and homesick and most of all he wanted Priscilla. 'Miserable' just wasn't enough to cover how he felt. He should have just stayed another night with her and later blamed it on that Grumpy got a thorn in his foot. Even if the others were starting to get harder and harder to believe that excuse. But right now, he'd rather face Lewis' and his boss' wrath than this.

He let out a yawn, felt a cold chill crawl down his body and huddled closer to Grumpy. The bird was still sleeping soundly, but he wouldn't be happy if he woke up. Bentley looked down at the scarf in his hands and closed his eyes as his hands dug into the fabric.

"G'night, Prissy..." He muttered almost inaudibly to the scarf. "Nakupenda..."

**Hey, you wanted a sequel and that means y'all will just have to endure these mushy-mushy, sappier than tree-sap, diabetes-inducing Bentley and Prissy moments as well ;P! **

**Oh, and we'll be going on our annual trip to Michigan next friday, so after that there won't be any new chapters for a while ^^... But I hope to update both TLO and EOTP before I go ;)**


	3. Tuskagee

**Just gonna throw this one out here before we leave for Michigan, then there will be a week of nothingness x)...**

**Ahem, shall we?**

***** Chapter Three : Tuskagee *****

The next day, Priscilla was getting ready to leave. She had packed her guns, provision (or whatever edible that was left in her house), blanket and had just stuffed everything on Birdies saddle and in his saddlebags when Jolene passed the livery and poked her head in, scaring a few roadrunners.

"Yo, leavin' so soon, cowgirl?" The Rattlesnake said and tilted her head slightly to the side.

"In an hour or two, yes" Priscilla nodded without looking up. "I thought Rango told ya we'd leave by noon?"

The snake shook her head. "Nah, he never told me when y'all would leave" She paused and smirked. "Then he had to hurry on home an' tell Mrs Beans, wonder how she took it?"

"She got a bit... Upset..." Priscilla shrugged. "But I could understand her, I mean sure we'll only be away for a week or two perhaps, an' she has at least five months left, but I can see leavin' her alone with the ranch in her current condition might not sound too appealin' in her eyes"

Jolene chuckled. "Hell girl, ya make it sound like she's dyin' or somethin'!" Priscilla chuckled lowly as well. "She's just pregnant! An' nothin' sound appealin' when you're pregnant, except for perhaps a big plate with buffalo wings an' ten king sized boxes with chocolate!"

Priscilla chuckled as she left Birdie in his stall with his saddle and her equipment on, since they were going to head out soon anyway. She and Jolene took the route via the back of stable, through the corrals and pens, when they both heard a loud squawk and the feet of a pair of roadrunners coming straight for them. Usually, the roadrunners would stay away from the big snake, but there were two who didn't seem to be afraid for anyone of anything; Arrows daughters.

Out of the five eggs she laid, only two hatched and both chicks turned out to be females. One was dark gray with black wingpens and tailfeathers, while the other one was steel gray all over, even her eyes! Which made it tricky to try and figure out who the father could be since there were no other gray roadrunners in the stable. The closest to gray would be Excelsior, sheriff Rangos white roadrunner. But it seemed highly unlikely that Excelsior would be the father, since Arrow could hardly stand other roadrunners than her daughters and a few of the other younger females.

As soon as they saw Priscilla and Jolene pass the corral they shared with their mother, they both squawked happily and ran up to the fence. Arrow herself remained in the shadows the big livery stable cast over their corral, boringly pecking at the ground. Priscilla stopped to pet the two young roadrunners and scratch their necks.

"So, any news from Durango an' his boys yet?" Jolene asked while they stopped, earning a shake of the head from Priscilla in response.

"No, as far as we know, they're still in Mexico somewhere. Bentley ain't heard anythin' more from 'em in almost two years, an' the posters are still up" She answered in a low voice as the one with the black feathers nudged her beak against her arm. "What 'bout you? Heard anythin' from yer brothers?"

Jolene shrugged. "Yeah, Jake has been hired to take out some kind rival of a minin' company somewhere in the Rockies, an' I bet Blake is gamblin' all his money away in Fort Lazaro!" She sighed and smiled faintly. "Those two will never change!" She raised an eyebrow at Priscilla and her smile turned sly. "Soo, you're still seein' Bentley, huh?"

Priscilla looked down at the ground as she nodded. "Of course I do" She said lowly, not too keen on talking about him in the open like this.

"Funny, I ain't seen him for, I dunno, half a year?"

"Yeah, he's gettin' a lot better at keepin' a low profile" She looked back up at the two roadrunners and petted them a last time. "But I only wish he could stay for once. What I wouldn't give to get his face off that damn wanted poster..." She threw her arms around herself and sighed. "But I can't do anythin' 'bout it... It's the mayor of Diego City who ordered the posters, an' he ain't ever gonna forgive 'em for killin' his daughter, even less withdraw the order!"

She felt Jolenes big rattle brush against her shoulder and she looked up at the rattlesnake with a sad frown on her face. "Hey, what's with the long face, Cowgirl? At least ya still get to see him ev'ry now an' then, an' so far he ain't got caught! Maybe he'll be able to ride out the storm, an' when people has forgotten 'bout him an' the gang-...!"

Priscilla interrupted the snake with a hopeless chuckle. "Bountyhunters just don't forgive an' forget, that's one thing I learned durin' the short time I spent in Durangos gang." She paused and began to walk again. "Thanks for tryin' to cheer me up, Jo. But as long as that poster is up, Bentley will always be on the run, and he'll never be able to stay in one place for too long..."

Jolene shrugged and slithered after her. "Oh well, it was worth a shot wasn't it?" She said and glanced down Priscilla with a smirk. "Now, what I really wanna ask-...!"

"No, Jolene" Priscilla knew what the big snake was going to ask and cut her off. "Ya DON'T wanna know what he's like in bed!"

Jolene threw her head back and let out a loud, roaring laughter. "That wasn't what I was gonna ask, ya sick lil' girl!"

"... It wasn't?" Priscilla flinched. "W-well, that would be a first! Ya always ask all these really weird, personal questions!"

"That's b'cause you're my only source of INTERESTIN' information, cowgirl! Ev'rythin' these ladies in town ever talk 'bout is clothes, politics and the weather!" Jolene said with a bored frown. "An' all I was gonna ask this time is; do y'two have any plans for the future?" She got a confused tilt of the head from Priscilla in response. "I mean, has he asked ya yet? Y'know, to marry him?"

Priscilla slowed down and averted her eyes to the ground before slowly shaking her head. "No, he hasn't. I don't think he can marry me as long as he's on the run, or even if he believes in marriages... Or if he even wanna marry me, that is..."

"Pfft! Of course he wanna marry ya! Heck, I'd marry the crap outta of ya if I swung that way!"

"Thanks, Jolene"

"Anytime, cowgirl!"

They got out into the street and saw a big, red stagecoach pulled by four roadrunners standing outside the sheriffs office. Priscilla grimaced. "Oh no..."

"Huh?" Jolene asked and tilted her head. "Now what's wrong?"

"I don't wanna travel by 'coach..." The deputy muttered and got a puzzled frown from the snake. "It's crowded, bumpy, borin' an'-...!"

"There you are, Priscilla!" Rango hollered as he stepped out from the office and spotted Priscilla and Jolene on the street. "I hope you're ready to leave, b'cause we'll be on our way in about half an hour!" Priscilla nodded, but then frowned at the stagecoach again.

There was no way she'd ride in that thing all the way to Tuskagee...

...

Bentley arrived in Tuskagee three days later, just like he figured he would. Tuskagee was a pretty large town by a train station, perhaps even bigger than Dirt, and the main street was split in two: First Street and Second Street, very imaginative. And the building he was heading for, the headquarters, was on the border between the two streets, only a few blocks away from the livery stable. As soon as he had dismounted in front of the stable, a young redhaired jackrabbit boy, hardly more than ten years old, wearing an oversized poncho, ran out and greeted him.

"Welcome back, Mr Bentley!" He said and quickly grabbed Grumpys reins.

"Hi there, Jimmy!" Bentley replied and unloaded the stuff he thought he would need from the saddle. "New poncho?"

"Both yes an' no; I got it from my brother yesterday, its his old one"

"Really? It doesn't look old!"

"Nah, he took very good care of it!" He watched as Bentley unloaded his rifle, the rolled up blanket and hung the saddlebags over his shoulder. "How long will you be stayin' this time, mister?"

Bentley shrugged. "A couple of days perhaps... Think you can handle this old sourpuss for so long?" He chuckled and nodded at Grumpy, who slowly raised his oversized plume.

Jimmy nodded. "No problems, mister!"

"Good, b'cause I'm leavin' him in yer hands now" He dropped a couple of coins in the boys palm and tapped the brim of his hat at him. "See ya 'round, Jimmy!"

"See ya, Mr Bentley! And thanks!" Jimmy hollered after him and waved with the tip in his hand before walking into the livery with Grumpy.

Bentley had noticed that wearing a red sash in Tuskagee gave you privileges, one of them was that the livery stable didn't charge you anything if you kept your roadrunner there, no matter for how long! But he knew that Jimmy and his family weren't exactly the richest people in town, in fact they were very poor who had to send their ten year old son out to work! And he had met his parents a couple of times before, and seeing how nice people they were, the least he could do was to give Jimmy some extra tips whenever he could afford. Besides, some good karma was never bad!

The people who saw the hyena stroll down the street knew he was wanted, his face was on one of the posters outside the sheriffs station, but nobody dared to do anything because of the red sash he wore. They knew better than to mess with someone wearing a red sash. So instead, they just pretended he weren't there or averted their eyes. And their respect for the sash made Bentley once again wonder what the sash really meant, or who it really was he worked for.

Before he went to the headquarters, he first checked into a room in the hotel, free of charge of course; another benefit from the sash. The hotel wasn't the biggest in town, but the people who worked there was nice enough, Bentley thought. Sure, they might only be nice to him because of the sash, but it still counted!

He entered the little room and unloaded himself of his stuff before flopping down on the bed. Sleeping in a bed beat sleeping in a concrete pipe or a cavern any day... By far! As he lied face-down into the pillow, he felt just how weary and sleepy he was after the three day long ride. But he had been through worse though. He let out a yawn and closed his eyes. Maybe just five minutes, then he'd go see his boss...

…

Five minutes turned into a couple of hours, and when Bentley managed to open his eyes, he saw that the sun was setting behind the tall buildings of Tuskagee. He yelped, jumped out of his bed and ran out. For a moment he paused and feared that he might have forgotten his clothes in the rush, but luckily he had been sleeping with his clothes on. Though he did forget his boots, which he instantly noticed when he leaped out into the street and stomped in a pile of roadrunner droppings. Cursing to himself, he staggered back inside the hotel and upstairs to his room to fetch his boots. Well, so far things had gone just dandy!

The headquarters for the 'red sashes' was a big, saloon-like building. In fact, it might actually be a saloon where only red sashes were allowed! Bentley wasn't quite sure, but during the year and a half he had worked there he had never bothered asking. He didn't ask a lot of questions, which might be why he knew so little about the 'organization' he worked for.

He walked into the building, and was instantly met with the familiar smell of cigarette smoke, alcohol, and sweaty and dusty fur. On second thought, he was pretty sure at least the ground floor was a red-sash-only saloon. He knew there was an upper floor and a cellar as well, but they were leaning more to the 'shady-organization-headquarters-thingy' direction than the ground floor was. There were a couple of men in worn clothes and red sashes all around the 'saloon', and some turned their heads when Bentley stepped inside.

"Ay, Bentley! Look, he's on time!" Someone hollered from the bar, and scattered, agreeing whooping were heard from the others in the big room. Bentley even saw some hand out money to each other. Apparently, they had made bets whether he would show up or not. How sweet of them!

"Yeah, thought I might show up early for once, y'know, as a surprise!" Bentley chuckled and slumped down on one of the chairs in front of the bar and nodded at the bartender. "Hey, how ya doin', Orr?" The bartender, a tired-looking turkey who looked like he had stuck his head in a meatgrinder or something, muttered something incoherent while cleaning a halfpint glass.

"Cactus juice, I presume?" Orr, the bartender, said a bit clearer and looked up as he put the glass down on the bardesk.

"Nah, I'll have an ale for once" Bentley replied, and ignored the raised eyebrow he got from Orr.

"Really? Who the hell are ya an' what 'ave ya done to Bentley?" A short rodent-like, gray creature, a chinchilla, said and looked up from his half-empty glass of beer. "First you're on time, an' now ya won't chug down an entire bottle of cactus juice as ya usually do, are ya sick or somethin'?" The ones who sat closest to the hyena scooted away.

"Hey, I'm just thirsty for beer for a change!" Bentley rolled his eyes and sipped on the beer he got. "But if I ever ask for milk or lemonade, THEN you can start worryin'!"

"Impressive, I gotta admit. I never thought you'd be here on time, mate" A frillneck lizard emerged from one of the corners of the room, and anyone who stood in the way hurried to move when the orange and green lizard made his way to the bar. The huge frill around the lizards neck was draped over his shoulders like a poncho, and around his waist hung both a mean looking revolver and the long, red sash. He slumped down on a chair next to Bentley.

"I'm happy to surprise y'all, Lewis" Bentley nodded and looked down at his beer. Even if Lewis, the frillneck, never was especially rude or mean, Bentley just couldn't help but to feel uneasy whenever he was around. He didn't know what it was, but there was something about that lizard that didn't seem quite right. And he would definitely never trust Lewis to 100%, no siree!

"In fact, you're too early..." Lewis said and grabbed the little glass of whiskey Orr handed to him.

Bentley flinched. "W-what?"

"Yeah, the boss is really busy right now. I doubt he'll be back sooner that late tomorrow evening!" The lizard first sipped on the amber colored liquid in the glass, before emptying it in one sweep. "But whenever he returns, he's gonna have a talk with you..."

"Yeah, I know... It's a 'special mission thingy', right?"

"Yeah, something like that, mate..."

Bentley sighed and rested his elbows on the shining bardesk and stared down at his ale. "Great... So I COULD have stayed another night with my girl, since the boss himself is late..." He muttered bitterly and pouted. _That cold night in the pipe surrounded by burly humans was all for nothin'! Fantastic! Now I feel all peachy!_

"Well, if it would make ya feel better, wearin' a red sash gives ya the right to any girl ya want over at Madame Kittys Place" The chinchilla said with a smirk and nudged his elbow into Bentleys side while sipping on his beer. "Free, of course!

Bentley snorted. "Really, Val?" He said with a tired tone in his voice. "Thanks but no thanks, I already have the perfect girl in my life, and y'all know it!"

Val rolled his eyes and sipped some more on his beer. "Suit yourself"

"Besides, what's the deal with this thing anyway?" Bentley added and poked down at the sash around his waist. "I mean, how come people are so afraid of it, and why do we get free stuff for just wearin' it?!"

The entire room went silent as everyone turned their heads to Bentley for a moment, but then they resumed talking and forced themselves to stare down at their drinks or cards again. Lewis let out a chuckle and jumped down from the chair.

"There's nothing weird 'bout it, mate" The frillneck said and placed his hand on the hyenas shoulder. "It's just there to show everyone that you belong to us, and that they really shouldn't mess with you! And don't tell me that you mind gettin' stuff for free!"

Bentley looked down at his drink again. "I... I kinda do... It creeps me out sometimes..."

Lewis chuckled again and turned his back to the bar. "That's just b'cause you're a weird one, mate! A really weird one!" He said with an amused chuckle and with that, he headed for the stairs to the upper floor and was gone within a few beats.

Bentley kept staring down at his beer. He knew he shouldn't question it, but sometimes he really wondered what kind of organization this was... He had promised Priscilla to not fall back into a bad crowd again, so he innerly hoped that this wasn't a criminal organization. But then again, he just couldn't help but to wonder...

…

Rango, Priscilla and Mr Phidias arrived in Tuskagee late that night. Since Priscilla had rode behind the stagecoach all the way from Dirt and never got to do much more than sleep whenever they got to the rest stops, she was therefore dusty and in desperate need of a bath. She had no intentions to meet Mr Murdoch the next day, smelling like bird and sweat!

They already had rooms available for them in one of the smaller hotels, as it was the Murdoch Trading Company who payed for their visit, and when Priscilla noticed that one of the rooms had a bathroom, a REAL bathroom, she hurried to nab it and locked herself up in the bath for possibly an hour or two. Sure, the bathwater had to be heated up first, but she didn't care, she could take the cold. As a matter of fact, she preferred a cold bath after have been riding in the direct sunlight for almost three days.

While she was lying in the bath, her head relaxed against the padded edge of the bathtub, she couldn't help but to feel slightly disappointed; they hadn't met Bentley on the way, or seen him in the town. Although, she had seen quite many wearing an identical sash to the ones Bentley wore, and the sash WAS very familiar somehow but she just couldn't put her finger on it. And it was probably just her imagination, but she had thought she saw Hicks, one of Rango the bountyhunters men, walk into the general store when they arrived. But yeah, she had probably just been hallucinating.

She sighed and allowed the cool water to rinse her body, all dusty and weary from traveling. After that 'talk' they would have with Mr Murdoch the next day, she would definitely spend the rest of the day looking for Bentley. He should've arrived her either yesterday or today and she swore she had spotted Grumpy in the livery stable, so he couldn't have left already! He was somewhere in Tuskagee, and she had a feeling that he couldn't be too far away.

Right then, while she was soaking in the bath, Bentley entered the very same hotel and retreated into his own room on the very same floor, just further down the hallway. He had spent most of his time down at the saloony-headquarter-thingy and was both tipsy and tired as hell at the moment. He didn't even bother to take off his boots before slumping down on the bed and fell asleep only a few seconds after.

**Meh, this was more or less just a filler chappie of them arriving in Tuskagee, kinda boring, I know xD... Butbut, once I'm home again, I promise to have at least ONE hopefully more exciting chapter to show off ;P!**


	4. Familiar faces

**I'm back and guess what I've got? That's right, TWO chapters just waiting to get published ;P! The next one will be up in just a few seconds :D!**

***** Chapter Four : Familiar Faces *****

Priscilla didn't want to wake up. The hotels bed and sheets were at least ten thousand times softer and more comfortable than her own bed! But the knocking on the door wouldn't stop until she answered it, and she knew it was either Mr Phidias or Rango, there to remind her that they would go and talk to Mr Frederick Murdoch, the businessman who owned Murdoch Trading Company, this morning. Needless to say, she wasn't too keen on accepting a mission at this moment.

The knocking persisted, and she eventually half yelled, half mumbled an incoherent response, got up and wrapped the blanket around herself before answering the door. Outside stood Mr Phidias, wearing a new, stone gray suit.

"What?" She growled angrily, and he flinched. "I KNOW Mr Murdoch is expectin' us in the mornin', I KNOW it's a very important mission he wants us to do an' I KNOW-...!" She was interrupted when the chubby ringtail in front of her handed her a large cup of coffee.

"And I reckon you know that Mr Murdoch would like to see you two as soon as possible" He said as Priscilla silently took the coffee and stared down at it in confusion. "Now, is eight o' clock a fitting time?"

Priscilla slowly nodded and sipped on the coffee. Damn it tasted good! "Uh, Eight? Yeah, sure..." Nicholas Phidias nodded and turned around to walk away when a question she had been meaning to ask for a while popped up. "Wait, Mr Phidias!" She hollered at him and he stopped and turned around, curiously cocking an eyebrow. "This third man Mr Murdoch wanted to hire, will we see him as well t'day?"

Mr Phidias looked as if he was pondering for a while before he nodded carefully. "Yes, according to my coworker, Buckham, he arrived here just a day before you did. They had an awfully long way to travel, you know. But he will appear at this meeting as well!"

Priscilla nodded again and closed the door. While getting dressed and sipping on her coffee, she couldn't help but to curiously wonder; who was this third man?!

…

'Murdoch Trading Company' was written in big, black letters above the office building; a surprisingly small, box-shaped house with two floors. Rango and Priscilla followed Mr Phidias into the lounge, where a very petite fennec fox female with way too large, round glasses was sitting behind a desk and furiously wrote on a typewriter. The tiny face with the humongous ears and glasses made the lady look very funny, but Priscilla managed to stifle the laughter. Funny, three years ago she wouldn't even have smirked at something like that, but that was before she met Bentley and, well... She changed.

The typewriter let out a loud _ping_ and the fennec began to write just as rapidly on the next row. "Mr Murdoch is in his office" She said with a surprisingly gravely voice for someone that small, and didn't even look up at the trio who entered.

"I know, Mrs Bhurma" Mr Phidias said and pushed his glasses up on his nose. "We were just on our way to see him!"

"He's not in a good mood" Mrs Bhurma added without taking a break from her typewriter. "Two of his ships from Kenya were attacked when they passed Madagascar. Only one made it back home, with nearly half of her cargo destroyed.."

Priscilla frowned. "Madagascar?"

"An island to the east of Africa" Rango hurried to say, but Priscilla rolled her eyes at him in response.

"I know that! But, why would a pair of merchant ships get attacked there? And by who?"

"This isn't the first time it's happened... Witnesses on the surviving ship says their ships were cursed ..." For the first time, Mrs Bhurma stopped typing on her typewriter and looked up at them, narrowing her eyes at Priscilla. "They say it was the work of the Shadowfolk..."

Priscilla felt uneasy by the way the fennec lady said it and looked at her, almost as if she was accusing her! "Th-the Shadowfolk?" She blinked in confusion. "What's the 'Shadowfolk'?"

"Superstition, that's what it is!" Mr Phidias snorted and took a step towards the door in the back, apparently the one leading to Mr Murdochs office. "Now, before we lose the rest of the day babbling away...!" He made a gesture for the others to follow him and the fennec lady began writing again. Priscilla and Rango exchanged glances before they followed the ringtail into the office.

Mr Frederick Murdoch was a businessman, which was apparent in his quadratic office: his desk to the left was cluttered with papers, his bookshelves was overflowing with thick books and folders and Mr Murdoch himself was only visible as a mess of black hair among the papers on his desk.

Mr Phidias cleared his throat. "Mr Murdoch? The ones you requested are-...!"

"Already?" The critter behind the desk said wearily without lifting his head from his hands.

"Yes" The ringtail blinked in confusion. "Didn't you say that you wanted to see them as soon as possible?"

"Yeah, I did..." Mr Murdoch finally lifted his head up and gestured at the three chairs in front of his desk. "Very well, the sheriff and deputy from Dirt? Please, have a seat!"

Priscilla and Rango both flinched at the same time; Mr Murdoch was a raccoon, with long, thin, black hair. If it weren't for the emerald green eyes and the strange scar on his jaw, he looked almost identical to Jet! Priscilla and Rango exchanged glances until she first walked to one of the chairs and sat down in it, Rango shortly after.

"Let's get to the point, Mr Murdoch..." She said seriously and straightened her back. "We rarely leave Dirt unless we have to, an' unless yer mission really is as important as you say-...!"

Mr Murdoch cut her off with a wave of his hand and chuckled. "Oh it is, don't worry!" He turned his head back to Mr Phidias, who was just about to leave. "Hey, Nick! Where's that bountyhunter?"

Mr Phidias stopped in his tracks. "Umm bountyhunter...? Oh, yes, I... Errm, I haven't seen him since this morning, and neither has Buckham!" Rango and Priscilla exchanged another glance; 'bountyhunter'?. They both knew exactly what the other was thinking. "But he should know that your appointment is at eight!"

Mr Murdoch nodded. "So he's here in town at least?" Mr Phidias nodded in response and with that, he left and carefully closed the door behind himself.

"NOW can we get to the point?" Priscilla muttered and narrowed her eyes. "We've been travelin' for a long time, Mr Murdoch, an' we'd like to know just exactly what is ya want from us!"

"Alright, alright! Wow, you certainly don't like to spill time, do you?"

"That's one way to put it..."

"Hey, I find that a good quality! As my old dad used to say: 'Wasted time is wasted money'!"

"Mr Murdoch-...!"

"Oh please, call me Freddie! Mr Murdoch makes me feel like I'm my old dad!"

Priscilla raised an eyebrow while Rango, who had yet to utter a single word, was quietly fumbling with his finger. This guy might be a raccoon and bear certain similarities with Jet, but Mr Murdoch, or Freddie, wasn't like Jet at all; he was a complete ditz! "Alright, Freddie..." She said and tried her best to contain her impatience. "Could we PLEASE get on with the mission at hand?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, the mission!" Freddie chuckled. "How silly of me, that's why you're here!" He cleared his throat and sat up straighter in his armchair. "Now, as my friend Nick might have told you, I have summoned you here for a reason..."

_We know, Sherlock..._ Priscilla had to bury her nail into the armrests of her chair to not say it out loud.

"There is something I'd require the help of you three specifically chosen people to accomplish. I've heard about sheriff Rango of Dirt and his deputy Priscilla, a woman for a change..." He passively held up his hand in front of his face. "Don't get me wrong! I'd love to see more women within that profession!"

"Yes, and...?" So far, Priscilla wasn't exactly impressed by this man. If he didn't say anything interesting soon, she would leave and take Rango with her.

"And, errm, I have a preposition to make, a very well paid preposition at that!"

"Why did you choose just us?" Priscilla said, still not impressed enough to consider this a good idea. "There are dozens of other men like rangers, mercenaries, hired guns... Why pick the only two lawmen from a small town in the middle of the desert?"

"Well, you see, a couple of months ago I sent for this outlaw and asked him to join this mission. But after a while, I was thinking to myself: an outlaw will be too obvious and instantly rise suspicion. So I heard that you two worked alongside with him when my cousin got another one of his 'get-rich-no-matter-what'-ticks and-...!"

"Yer cousin!?" Both Rango and Priscilla exclaimed in unison, and Rango continued: "Jet was your cousin?!"

"Yeah..." Freddie averted his eyes for a moment before looking back up at them with a sheepish grin. "But every family has it's black sheep, y'know! And Johnny was always a bit of a kleptomaniac!"

"Kleptomaniac?! He was just a MANIAC!" Priscilla angrily slammed her palm on the desk. "Do ya have ANY idea what he did to us an' our town!?"

"Yes, I am painfully aware that he almost leveled your town to the ground, ran you out of your homes and was going to make a profit of your water resource! I'm lucky I switched my name to Murdoch a long, long time ago!" He added the last part with a mutter. "Anyway, I do apologize for the inconvenience the Longway family has caused you..."

"Inconvenience?!" She spat out and clenched her jaw. _He turned Bentley into a homicidal monster, THAT'S an inconvenience?_

"..Yes... But to get on with business, I reckon you two would get along with this man, seeing as you've worked with him before-...!"

"I'm sorry, Mr Murdoch. But I don't think we can accept this mission..." Priscilla said with a bitter mutter. Rango looked as if he was going to object, but silenced down. He knew how deep rooted her hatred for Jet was, and wouldn't wanna risk ending up getting yelled at by the now very worked up, Priscilla if he suggested that they at least would listen to Mr Murdoch and wait for this third man. He was now VERY curious to see who it was! He had his suspicions, but somehow it seemed impossible that it would be HIM...

Freddie blinked in confusion. "Wh-why not? Why are you so suddenly determined that-...?"

"Because, Mr Murdoch, yer cousin Jet was a big, demented pile of shit, pardon my french, who wasn't just a completely cruel an' egocentric mind, he was also a sadistic megalomaniac who used me as some kinda psychological torture instrument to get information out of my boyfriend, which has even up 'til t'day given both him an' me scars that'll never go away!" She stood up from her chair and leaned over against the desk, Freddie fidgeted nervously under the ominously looming and pissed off woman. She knew she shouldn't judge the entire family for something that a single individual did, but with Jet it was different... "An' speakin' of this mysterious, third man; I'm so sick of ya an' yer secrecy 'bout ev'rythin'! Just give us the bloody name already! But I swear, if his last name is Gajerra I'll-...!"

"Gajerra?!" The raccoon hurried to shake his head. "Definitely not!"

Priscilla passed the furious-stage and growled angrily at the flustered raccoon. "Then WHO the hell is it?!"

Freddie opened his mouth and was about to answer, when the door was quickly yanked open and slammed shut. Priscilla, Rango and Freddie quickly turned their heads to the lizard who walked in. He was wearing a long, dark coat and a wide brimmed hat that covered his face, making it nearly impossible to tell who it was. But both Rango and Priscilla instantly noticed that there were something familiar about this man.

"Sorry I'm late" He said with a cold and raspy voice and took off his hat. The first thing they noticed about him was the fin on his head and the eyes. He hadn't changed much since they last saw him, except that he instead of a dark gray poncho now wore a coat with similar patterns and had slightly more wary look on his face. He was still walking around, dressed in black.

"R-Rango?!" Sheriff Rango and Priscilla both exclaimed in unison, and the other Rango flinched in surprise when he saw who was there as well.

"Well, well..." He chuckled and cocked his head to the side. "Y'two are the lawmen I'm s'posed to be workin' with, huh?" He took their stunned silence as a 'yes'.

The two lawmen could hardly believe their eyes. Even if Rango had a slight suspicion that it might have been the bountyhunter they were expecting, he couldn't help but to gawk in shock at his old rival. Priscilla was the first one to regain her voice. "Y-YOU?! YOU are the third man?!"

Rango the bountyhunter shrugged and joined them on the third chair. "Apparently. An' I can honestly say I'm happy to see the two of you 'ere, I was afraid the ditz over there was gonna team us up with a pair of unbearable goody-two-shoes!" He admitted with a chuckle before arching a brow at the raccoon. "Mr Murdoch, sorry I'm late, but we ran into a pair of old friends an' it almost turned 'to a shootin'. Now, care to fill me in on what you've told 'em already?"

"He's Jets cousin an' he haven't told us anythin' yet so we're just as clueless as ya" Priscilla said bitterly and sat down in her chair again. Okay, the third man turned out to be Rango the bountyhunter, and wow would they have much to talk about later! Maybe she could stay and hear the raccoon out at least before turning down his mission...

"I know he's Jets cousin. We once got into a discussion with the slimy bastard 'bout how to detect liars, an' he told me all 'bout this guy an' his habit of twitchin' his nose ev'rytime he fibs" The bountyhunter nodded, and Freddie frowned and covered his nose with his palm. "An' he's quite the scatterbrain, ain't he?"

"We've noticed that..." Rango and Priscilla muttered in unison and glanced at the raccoon, who awkwardly cleared his throat to change the subject.

"Yeah, yeah! Well, now when you're all here, and two are already getting mighty impatient, I guess I'd better skip any further formalities and just spill it, huh?" The raccoon said, and all three critters on the opposite side of the table nodded in unison, Priscilla even growled to emphasize her impatience. Freddie let out a sigh and leaned his elbows on the desk. "Alright then..."

…

Bentley jolted awake with a scream and was all soaked in sweat. Another nightmare.

With a groan, he slowly moved to the edge of the bed and sat up, rubbing his eyes and yawned widely. Not only did he have another one of those nightmares where he watched his father get executed, this time it had been in Dirt with Priscilla being the one to hold the gun, but also was his head hurting like hell, his entire body felt pummeled and a slightly nauseous feeling made his entire world spin. He was somewhat used to the nightmares by now, but that other thing was odd; he would NEVER get hungover like this after a weak night like last night! He had only had a couple of beers and was hardly even tipsy when he went to bed!

"No more beer..." He winced and rubbed his temples, waiting for his pulse to slow down and the echoes of the gunshot to die off. "Never again..." He threw a quick glance out through the window and estimated the clock to be around eight am.

He groaned again and buried his face in his hands. He was tired and wanted to sleep some more, but his head was murdering him. There was NO way he'd be able to go back to sleep with a hangover like this! But he knew the perfect cure, both for the hangover and the aftermath of the nightmare; a breakfast over at the cafe on First Street! Shortly followed by a drink in Third Street Saloon, a small saloon by the edge of the town, in an area called 'Third Street', even if it wasn't the official name or an official street...

Inspired by the thought of a cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll or two, Bentley managed to crawl out of bed, ignored how awful he looked in the mirror and strolled out from the hotel. It was easy to find the cafe, and as usual the ones who worked there tried to convince him that the breakfast was free for 'someone like him', but he wouldn't have any of it. Eventually, the cashier had to accept the money he was offering, even if she seemed a bit afraid to accept it.

Bentley was close to nodding off when the plate with freshly cooked pancakes with syrup and sprinkled with powdered sugar was put down in front of him. He held back a yawn and nodded with a wide smile at the waitress when she put a cup of steaming coffee down next to the plate. The young female skink lizard blushed and nodded in return before skittering back to the kitchen as fast as she could. He had never seen her work here in the cafe before, so he figured that she probably was new. Funny, they seem to replace personnel all the time in this place! He shrugged and looked down at the plate in front of him.

Boy, did he love pancakes! But these would never compare to Prissys. Hers were thinner and crispier, and she always used too much sugar so the batter tasted super sweet already from the start! She had stopped burning the edges and figured out how to crack the eggs without getting any shell fragments in it, and just the fact that they were made specifically for him made them just so much more special and delicious! But alas, she wasn't around at the moment, so these had to do. With a sigh, he grabbed the nearest fork and began to shove the pancakes into his mouth.

But while he was eating he suddenly began to think about the dream he had, and lost his appetite. It had been the usual flashback from 23 years ago of his father being shot down in front of him and his sister, but a few things were different: for starters, it took place on Dirts main street, not on a sandy beach separating the jungles from the sea. And the one who held the gun that killed his father was none other than Priscilla. But it hadn't been the first time; sometimes his nightmares would star Prissy either hurting someone close to him or get hurt herself. A couple of times he even dreamed that she dumped him and married someone else!

He started to feel nauseous again. What if this was his fathers way of punishing him for everything he's done? Or what if the dreams about Priscilla getting hurt or married became reality?! He knew she sometimes got into trouble with the bountyhunters who were after him, and what if they managed to injure her really badly while he was gone?!

He tried to take a sip of his coffee, but it was too hot and he yelped when his tongue got burned. Giving the steaming coffee an occasional, skeptical glance every now and then, he kept thinking of all the horrible stuff that possibly could happen to her while he was on the run. Eventually he stood up from his table with a deep sigh. He really needed at drink...

There were multiple reasons he choose to go to Third Street Saloon, one was that there were hardly any people there, at least not people he knew. But to his surprise, he noticed that there were an unusually large amount of people in the saloon. Especially around the poker table in the furthest corner. Probably some hotshot, famous poker player who preferred the smaller saloons who were in town or something...

Bentley made his way to the counter and was shortly greeted by the bartender, a tall skunk called Flint. Now that was the second reason he preferred this saloon: the hosts. Flint the bartender, and his waitress/adopted daughter Sheena had quickly made friends with the hyena. They didn't seem to be afraid of the sash like everyone else, but that could be because the red sashes hardly went there, plus the two were pretty new to town and hadn't really bothered asking what the hullabaloo was about.

"G'mornin', Flint!" Bentley returned the nod he got from the skunk and had barely sat down on one of the tall chairs when he got glass of cactus juice poured for him; his usual. Flint was a man of few words, so he just nodded again to Bentley. He usually let Sheena do all the talking. Just as Bentley began sipping on his drink, a victorious whoops and angry hands slamming their cards onto the table was heard. Bentley nodded at the poker table. "So, is there somethin' special goin' on t'day, or are people just in a gamblin' mood?"

"Well, it's a bit of both..." A female African wild dog said and appeared next to Flint behind the counter. She put a plate down on the counter and began to fill it up with glasses of cactus juice. "There's dis kid who keeps winnin' n' winnin', an' das' got e'ryone in a gamblin' mood"

Bentley cocked an eyebrow. "Ya really got a kid in here, Sheena?"

Sheena shrugged and picked the plate up again. "Yeah, he looks like he's 'bout sixteen, so kid might not be da correct term, but he's still da youngest one to ever sit by one of our tables, das' for sure!"

The first time Bentley met Sheena, he had been surprised to see a wild dog here by the edge of the desert. But he later heard that Flint had known her parents, who both were old plantation slaves like him, and taken care of their daughter after they both died from tuberculosis when she was eight. She was known for being very stubborn so was on her initiative that they got the saloon and moved to Tuskagee, as she was tired of living on the countryside and work on a farm all day long, just like her parents and their ancestors before them had done.

Bentley looked at the poker table, but he couldn't see the people sitting around it because of the crowd who was standing around and watched the players. "Interestin'..." He mumbled and emptied the little glass before making his way to the crowd. He had thought he recognized one of the voices.

And as he pushed his way through the equally curious people, he heard that voice again, that seemed so familiar but at the same time not: "Aww, I'm sorry gentlemen!" The voice, without a doubt a young person, said. As more curses were heard and cards that hit the table. "A Royal Flush! Well, this would make my third, wouldn't it?"

When Bentley made it to the table and saw the ones sitting around it, he almost dropped his jaw to the floor. The kid Sheena had been talking about sat to the right; an aye-aye like Prissy, dressed in a tan, short sleeved shirt and light gray pants. He had a cocky smirk on his face, but his most striking feature was the hair; a big, massive mess of black, curly hair that made him look at least a couple of inches taller than what he was, which already was very tall for someone his age. If this kid wasn't Caleb, then Bentley would be a monkeys uncle!

"Y'all know what I smell?" One of the men he was playing against, a black, burly cat, growled.

"Your socks, b'cause seriously even I can smell them from over here!" The Caleb-lookalike said without skipping a beat, and that ensured Bentley that this really was the very same Caleb!

"No, a cheater!"

"That would be my second guess" Caleb shrugged and reeled in his prize: a big heap of money, from the table. He turned to a skink lizard sitting next to him with a disappointed scowl. "Shame, shame on you, Lenny! I thought you smelled funny!" The skink blinked in confusion.

"Not him, you!" The fourth player, a dark green lizard, said and narrowed his eyes at the young aye-aye. "Nobody gets three Royal Flushes in cards!"

"I did?"

"B'cause you're a cardsharper, aren't'cha, kid?" The cat growled again and Bentley saw how his hand traveled down to the handle of his gun.

Caleb sighed and reached his hands up in the air. "Okay guys, I admit! Y'all got me! I've been hidin' the cards in my sleeves all this time and-...!" He looked up at his bare arms in suspicion before holding them out in front of him instead. "Oh wait! I forgot: I DON'T EVEN HAVE ANY SLEEVES, you nuggetbrain! HOW the heck am I supposed to cheat without any sleeves?!" The people around the table and the other players exchanged glances and mumbles when they realized the kid was right.

Bentley let out a low, slightly evil, snicker and made his appearance by the table. "Excuse me, gentlemen!" He said and ignored the surprised look Caleb got on his face when he saw Bentley. "But if I recall, this young man tends to hide stuff in that massive hair of his..."

Caleb flinched and the color drained from his face. "B-Bentley?! What the hell, dude, what are ya...?!"

"I wouldn't be surprised if it's there he's hidden all those cards" He locked eyecontact with Caleb, and the young aye-ayes horror was replaced with a bitter frown.

"Oooh, I get it..." He muttered as the everyone stared at him. "Don't listen to this guy, he's crazy! For real! And he's just pissed that his girlfriend is the biggest whore on Earth!"

Bentley tilted his head. "Isn't that a queen of spades sticking out there b'hind his ear?"

"God, you gotta be kiddin'..." Caleb seemed to shrink in his chair as knifes and revolvers were drawn from the men around him. "Look, guys just don't listen to him! I-I'm serious: that hyena is seriously demented! I mean c'mon, he's datin' a-...!"

More than that was impossible to hear, since Bentley left the angry crowd of gamblers and sat down by the counter again. Shortly after, he saw Caleb bolt out of the crowd and run as fast as he could to safety, while being followed by an angry mob. He couldn't help but to let out a chuckle before sipping on the second glass that Flint poured for him.

"I knew dat fella was a cheatah..." Sheena said and put one of her hands on her hips. "Say, ya knew him, Bentley?"

Bentley nodded. "Yup, I've known that guy for a couple of years actually. He always had a habit of callin' my girl some real' bad things, and now I saw a chance to get back at him!"

Sheena chuckled. "Karma, huh?"

"Definitely!" Bentley grinned and lifted the glass. He suddenly got a thoughtful frown as he stared down at his drink. "Though, I'm a bit curious; that guy, Caleb, was supposed to have left on his own to travel the country a couple of years ago, even if he was still just a kid... And since I know how much he hate cities, I can't help but to wonder what drove him to come here?"

**DONE! To the next chapter! Which is a pretty short one...**


	5. The mission

**And here's the second chapter for today ;P! It's really, really short, I know o_o"...**

***** Chapter Five : The Mission *****

Frederick Murdoch looked at the three impatient faces sitting across the desk. He wasn't quite sure how to start. But he had been stalling enough...

"I know neither of you three has been here in Tuskagee for very long..." He said eventually and rubbed his chin. "But I guess you've seen the red sashes some men are wearing, yes?" Priscilla and Rango the bountyhunter both nodded, but sheriff Rango slowly shook his head. Freddie ignored him and continued: "Yeah, they are, as you might already know, members of the Jenkins Gang and-...!"

"Th-the Jenkins Gang?!" Priscilla said with a gulp and instantly got a bad feeling about it all, which only got worse when she remembered Bentley wore a red sash. "B-but that's impossible! They were disbanded fifteen years ago, a-after the Jenkins Brothers were defeated!" She had very faint memories of when the streets were full of men with red sashes, back in the days when the Jenkins Brothers, the founders of the gang, was still alive. She couldn't have been more than six, which was why she found Bentleys sash so familiar, yet couldn't put her finger on why.

The bountyhunter nodded. "I know! B'cause I was the very one who shot the Jenkins Brothers!" He couldn't help but to glance at the sheriff, who grinned sheepishly and seemed to shrink in his seat when he found the basilisk staring at him.

Freddie nodded. "I know, but they're back..."

The sheriff flinched. "The Jenkins?!"

"Pfft, no! They're dead!" Freddie said, and both Rangos drew a sigh of relief in unison. "Someone else has revived the gang, but nobody knows who that person is..."

"And lemme guess, ya want US to find out who that new leader is?" Priscilla said with a restrained sigh.

"Both yes and no. Well, I better start from the bottom:..." The raccoon cleared his throat and leaned forward on the desk. "I've been the owner of the trading company for more than twenty years, and since I have trading posts in Asia, Europe AND Africa, I'm happy to announce that the Murdoch Trading Company is one of the largest trading companies in the world! But until almost two years ago things has been going downhill. But not just for my company: everyone elses too! And the reason has a three letter name: the Jenkins Gang. Ever since they were revived, things have started to happen to various trading companies all around the country; accidents to stocks, unexplainable fires, cargo ships being attacked and so on..."

"Yer assistant said somethin' 'bout a pair of yer ships bein' attacked when they passed Madagascar?" Priscilla added, and Freddie nodded bitterly.

"Yes, especially my ships from Africa gets attacked..." He muttered before straightening up again. "So, I sent a couple of agents to investigate the connections between the attack on the trading companies and the Jenkins Gang, and they found a lot of interesting evidences pointing to the Jenkins Gang having something to do with it" He sighed and leaned back in his armchair. "Alas, my agents vanished half a year ago, without solving the case. But the last thing they did before they disappeared was to give me a name, a very important name: Kayden Sheridan"

"Sheridan?" Rango the bountyhunter frowned and cocked his head to the side. "That sounds familiar.."

Freddie nodded. "Yes, I thought so too, therefore I had a couple of people to investigate this Sheridan fellow, and came up with a couple of rather interesting things...To start with; he moved to America a bit more than two years ago, just in time for the Jenkins Gang to be revived, from what's said to be an isolated aye-aye colony to the north side of Madagascar; an area the natives calls 'The Shadow Kingdom'. Rather ominous if you ask me..." He paused before clearing his throat and continued: "Mr Sheridan lives in River Town in California, also where the Jenkins Gang has their main headquarters, and owns a the third biggest vineyard of the state and at least half of the towns stores, saloons, casinos, hotels, etc, etc. Oh, and a small trading company: Sheridan Trading Company, which seem to only make trades with Madagascar and certain African countries. And it hasn't even had half the accidents and misfortunes that's caused other companies!" He added the last part with a bitter growl and paused again. The two Rangos and Priscilla exchanged glances as the three already could predict what this man had in store for them. "As I think you three have figured out already as well, I'm dead certain this Mr Sheridan has something to do with the Jenkins Gang and all the strange things that's happened to the trading companies. So therefore, the mission I'd like to ask of you three-...!"

Rango the bountyhunter held up a hand to interrupt the raccoon before he continued speaking. "Freddie, may I just suggest this; if you're lookin' for a hired gun we all know the perfect snake for the job. We're bountyhunters an' lawmen, not mercenaries!"

"I'm not looking for mercenaries, Mr Campbell, and I doubt the Grim Reaper is the right man for these kinds of missions..." Mr Murdoch shook his head. "No, what this mission is about, is to infiltrate Mr Kayden Sheridan, and reveal his secrets. IF we can prove he's the one responsible for the Jenkins Gangs comeback and all the sabotages, we'd be able to lock him up forever for his crimes! But I'm afraid there's a deadline: I've heard from safe sources that Sheridan will return home in three months, and stay there for quite some time..." He grinned at the two lawmen and the bountyhunter, which only made him look even more like Jet than before. "So what do you say? Will you accept?"

Neither said anything for a while. "It's all very interestin', really!" The bountyhunter said after a short moment of silence and consideration.

"But what's in it for us?" Priscilla finished. Sheriff Rango, who sat in the middle of the two, couldn't help but to feel like a third wheel in this conversation.

"Ah yes, I was just gettin' to that: now you two from Dirt, not only will you two receive a handsome amount of money, but I'm also willing to build a trading post in Dirt, which is guaranteed to skyrocket your towns incomes, attract more people and not to mention the work opportunities that comes with it!"

Priscilla and Sheriff Rango exchanged a thoughtful glance. It did sound pretty good... "We'll think 'bout it..." He said with a nod.

"And for you, Campbell, a just as handsomely reward for you, plus I've got a very good contact with the mayor of Diego City and I'm certain I'll find a way to revoke the wanted order on you and your men!"

Priscilla was close to exclaim "I'll do it!", but managed to stop herself. Just getting the wanted order revoked on Bentley beat her share of the reward... Instead she joined the two men as they walked away from the desk to talk together, but all agreed to accept the mission. The rewards seemed pretty good, but the question they all was thinking was: "Will it be worth it?". He had said he hired a pair of agents to investigate, and they obviously failed, so how much better could a pair of lawmen and a bountyhunter and his gang do?

"We accept..." The bountyhunter said seriously when they returned to the desk. Mr Murdoch drew a visible sigh of relief and relaxed in his armchair. "There's only one more thing I want to know..."

Freddie raised an eyebrow. "And that would be?"

"Why us?"

The raccoon straightened up in his armchair. "I chose the two lawmen from Dirt, since you obviously met and worked together before. Besides, I've heard a lot of promising things about these two, so what was there to loose? And the reason I picked you from the start..." He paused as he began to rummage in one of his drawers. After a while, he seemed to find what he was looking for and put a big folder on the desk. He began to rummage through the papers until he came up with a paper with two pictures clipped onto it. "Is that I think you'd find this interesting..." He smiled somewhat smugly and handed the paper and pictures to the puzzled basilisk. "These three are some of Sheridans closest men, or maybe I should say; women, and even they has had a part to play in the Jenkins Gang"

At first, Durango stared with a blank expression on the two pictures, but then they all saw how the color drained from his face and a flash of anger glinted in his eyes as he stared up at Mr Murdoch again. "Is this some kind of joke?!" He spat out, but Mr Murdoch only shook his head in response.

Sheriff Rango curiously yanked the paper out of his hand, and both him and Priscilla leaned over to see the pictures. One of the pictures was of two older basilisk women, probably around their fifties. They looked identical to each other, except that one of them had a face full of tiny scars, which Rango recognized as the same kind of scars survivors who were infected by the Skeleton Cliffs plague would have, like Harvey. Something about them reminded the lawmen about the bountyhunter, family? The other one was a picture of a slightly younger basilisk woman as well, but she didn't look like the other two: even if the image was in black and white, they could tell that she had spots on her face in a different color, and the fin on her neck curled slightly inwards to the left.

All three women seemed to upset the bountyhunter somehow, but the sheriff managed to carefully ask: "Who are they?"

The other Rango angrily clamped his jaws together. "The twins are my two older sisters Brandy an' Gin... The third one is called Mary-Ann, my late wifes younger sister... I thought all three of them were dead..."

"You're still taking on the mission, aren't you?" Freddie asked nervously, worried that he just changed the bountyhunters mind. He was quiet for a while, but then he nodded. "Good!" Freddie said, obviously relieved, and began to rummage through the folder again and came up with a letter, which looked martially close to an invitation. "If I might help you to get started: next week, Kayden Sheridan will hold a social party to commemorate his companies' success, and probably to show off how rich he is, and in my hand I hold a forged invitation for the Longway family. This could be a good stepping stone to get close to the Sheridans" He held out the letter, waiting for someone to take it.

Priscilla raised an eyebrow. "The Longway family?" She said sceptically.

"Yeah, I know..." Freddie averted his eyes. "I don't have much of an imagination when it comes to names... I named my son Frederick Jr, y'know!" Sheriff Rango was the one who took the letter, and nodded at the raccoon. "Well, I better not keep you here then!" Mr Murdoch said and leaned back in his armchair. "Thank you so much for accepting this mission, and I whish all three of you the best of luck!"

"Eight!" The bountyhunter said and stood up, earning a confused look from Mr Murdoch.

"E-excuse me?"

"We're eight who's on this mission" He got another confused look from Mr Murdoch. "What, ya don't think I'd do this without my gang, do ya?"

Priscilla smiled as she and the Rangos left, leaving Mr Murdoch in his office to fret over having to pay not only three, but EIGHT people their money if they succeeded with their mission. She looked forward to meet the guys again! After all it had been three years since she last saw them, and no matter what they had done, they WERE her friends after all! But then she looked back and saw the nervous look on sheriff Rangos face. He was going to have to tell Beans that he'd be away for much longer than a week; he'd have to be gone for three months! At least! And she wouldn't be happy to hear what they were going to do either!

Priscilla chuckled, she couldn't help but to feel sorry for her sheriff. But at the same time as she stepped out on the street, a worried feeling made her stomach churn: she had to find Bentley, and quick! He had no idea what kind of company he mixed himself in with this time!

**Yeah, it's short, I know :/... But I hope the content was to satisfaction at least ^^"... Plus you DID get two chapters in one day...**

**And YAY, Kayden got mentioned xD! I gotta admit: I myself really like that guy, lol :P!**

**Anyway, I'll probably finish the next chapter by next week or something, hope to see y'all then!**


	6. Back with the gang

**So sorry to keep y'all waiting, I've been insanely busy all last week... And right now, it feels as if the story moves on too slowly :/... But meh, it'll get better, I promise ;)**

***** Chapter Six : Back With The Gang *****

Priscilla and Rango followed the other Rango to join the rest of the gang, who had been told to wait in a saloon on First Street, called First Choice. Priscilla hoped that it wasn't some kind of joke, hinting to the name of the street the saloon was located. Because if it was, it was more tragic than funny. _They should let Bentley name things 'round here..._

On their way to the saloon, Rango told them that they had just arrived there from their hideout in San Sofiá in Mexico, Fledge and Flitches hometown. The porcupine brothers had once been wanted for murder in that town, but since almost twenty years had passed since then, people seemed to have let that go and hardly even cocked an eyebrow at them when they walked by. And somehow, Caleb had managed to track them down on his own, and was now a member of the gang. Hicks had found himself a girl and as Rango had put it; Hicks finally got hitched. The reason they arrived to Tuskagee so late wasn't because of the distance, but because Hicks' 'señorita', Elena, first wouldn't let him return to the country where he was a wanted criminal.

And Priscilla told him that she suspected that Bentley was a member of the Jenkins Gang, since he was wearing that red sash all the time. Rango had just shook his head and sighed a tired: "Oh Bentley..." at those news. He was relieved to hear that his old gangmember was still alive and well, but unless they could get him to leave the Jenkins Gang, things could get very complicated if they ever were to run into him during their mission.

As soon as they stepped inside the saloon, both Priscilla and sheriff Rango spotted the familiar gang sitting by a table in one of the darkest corners. Well, the entire gang except for Sam, Scrange and Coral. But while two of them had left a long time ago, Coral, Rango told her, was just hanging out outside of town. She had never really liked to show herself in public. But from the men gathered here, Priss could instantly tell that neither of them had changed especially much, and Caleb still looked like an oversized brat with a massive hairdo. But thank god his voice had stopped breaking, and he was actually wearing decent clothes instead of rags this time.

He was leaning back on a chair, pressing a big, raw steak against the side of his head as the bountyhunter arrived with the two lawmen and announced their mission. "Yo, slut!" Was the first thing Caleb said when he spotted Priscilla in the trio.

"Howdy, brat!" Priscilla returned without skipping a beat. "Turned seven yet?"

"Har-de-har, I just laughed so hard I think I wet myself! How's Mongo doin'?"

"He's doin' alright, I reckon..." She shrugged and couldn't help but to smile at how quick he asked about his old friend; the giant mountain lion Mongo 'the Monster', who had chosen to stay in Dirt when Caleb wanted to leave. "He's workin' a steady job for Buford in the saloon. Though I bet he misses ya a lot! After all, you, his first and best friend, did leave him b'hind to go see the world!"

"Hey! He actually stayed on his own!" Caleb growled lowly and lowered his hand pressing the raw steak against the side of his face, revealing a massive, swollen black-eye. "But thanks anyway for the guilt-trip, slut!"

"Anytime, fag! Nice eye, by the way!"

"Yeah, and I thank yer boyfriend the Psycho for it!"

"B-Bentley?" Priscilla flinched.

Rango the bountyhunter turned to Hicks with a chuckle. "What's happened to Calebs eye? What did I miss?"

Hicks, the ashblonde coyote, sighed and shook his head. "He was caught cheatin' in a game of cards..."

"HEY!" Caleb exclaimed affronted and frowned at the coyote. "It wasn't my fault! If B hadn't showed up all randomly, they would NEVER have figured out that I really was cheatin'!"

"Why do ya even play cards if you 'ave to cheat to win?!" Rango said with a frown.

Caleb muttered and pressed the steak against his eye again. "B'cause fuck you, that's why!"

"Ya met Bentley? Here?" Priscilla asked the teen, who nodded and snorted bitterly in return.

"Yeah, he told ev'ryone where I hid the cards... I'll get back at that sonnova bitch one day, I swear!"

"Where did ya see him?" Priscilla demanded to know and sat down on the closest, empty chair.

"Why do ya wanna know?"

"B'cause I need to see him pretty quick!" She replied with a hint of annoyance in her voice. _Caleb, I swear, if ya start bitchin' with me 'bout this..._

"Really? Dont'cha think you could put yer whoremones back in the little box for a while?"

"Do ya want another black-eye to go with yer first?"

"Good job! If everythin' else fails; ALWAYS go with the threats!"

She sighed and rolled her eyes before leaning back in the chair. "Y'know, this might sound crazy, but I thought you'd grow up a bit after hittin' puberty!" She shook her head sadly. "How silly of me!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Calm down y'two!" The bountyhunter finally intervened, who, along with the rest of the gang, were starting to get slightly annoyed at the two aye-ayes' verbal jousting. "Look, we know you're both happy to see each other again, but could yer lil' reunion wait 'til later? I'm tryin' to fill the guys in on the mission, but I don't wanna have to shout in case there are any from the Jenkins Gang 'round"

"Fine..." Both Priscilla and Caleb answered at the same time, and listened as Rango told them about their mission they got from Mr Murdoch; to travel to River Town and investigate about Kayden Sheridan and his possible link to the Jenkins Gang and the sabotages of the trading companies.

"Woah, woah, woah!" Caleb suddenly said and held up his hands in front of himself, some watery blood dripped from the steak in one of his hands. "Sheridan? As in THE Sheridans?"

Everyone curiously turned their heads to the teen. "Ya know somethin' 'bout 'em?" Hicks asked.

Caleb averted his eyes. "Uh, yeah..." He said lowly before shrugging and looked up the gang again. "Look, I was born in Kentucky, so I'm not from 'the island', but both my parents and Umbra were, and they did tell me some bits and pieces about that place and from what I can recall; the Sheridans are the royal family of the Shadow Kingdom"

Fledge snorted and said something in Spanish, which Flitch translated: "Great, so we gotta infiltrate a royalty?"

"Yeah, probably..." Caleb shrugged once again.

"I thought the name Sheridan sounded familiar..." Rango the bountyhunter said lowly and turned to Hicks. "Didn't Tovi mention that name once?"

The coyote nodded pondering. "Yeah, when he told us how he and Samara met, wasn't it?"

"Yeah! I r'member! Wasn't he like some sort of apprentice to some Sheridan woman?"

"Somethin' like that... Hell, it was over twenty years ago, I hardly r'member 'em, y'know!"

"What?! I r'member Tovi as if we just met yesterday! Hell that guy was great, I'll never forget 'bout him! And I r'member that Samara was a real' sweet lil' darl!"

Priscilla bit down on her lip and averted her eyes. Tovi and Samara. Her parents she didn't even knew anything about until she met Rango and his gang! According to him, she was like the spitting image of her father...

"So, how are we gonna do this?" She asked to start focusing on the mission again, before she was completely lost in thinking about her parents! "We have this forged invitation to a social party that will be hosted by Sheridan himself at his residence in California, an' Mr Murdoch was right: it's a perfect start to get to know him!"

The bountyhunter nodded and folded his arms. "It sure is, but there's somethin' I've been thinkin' 'bout as soon as we left the office: seein' as how many of the Jenkins Gang there is 'round 'ere, I wouldn't be surprised if they knew that Mr Murdoch would send out agents to spy on Sheridan, an' if they do, they have surely warned him 'bout it by now!" He thoughtfully scratched his chin while staring at the tables surface. "I'm afraid this'll take a lot of time to plan, but after all; the party's two weeks away. I reckon we got some time to think, but we all need to lay low 'til we've left for River Town! That means no drinkin', no fightin', no snoopin' 'round an' absolutely NO foul poker playin'!" He aimed the last one at Caleb, who instantly took the hint and snorted out a bitter "whatever". "We don't wanna attract too much attention, in case we're bein' watched by the Jenkins gang, is that understood?"

Everyone nodded and murmured in agreement, and Rango smirked in approval. Well, almost everyone: sheriff Rango had all this time been sitting on his chair and stared with a far-off look in his eyes at his lap. Curious, the bountyhunter gave his shoulder a slight push.

"Hey, ya alright there, partner?" He asked after Rango jolted back to reality with an alarmed yelp. "Ya look kinda pale, literally!"

The sheriff wiped his brow with the back of his hand and nodded. "Y-yeah... I'm just fine, thank you..." He replied with an unsteady voice. "I was just thinking... Or dreading, actually..."

The other Rango grinned smguly. "Nervous 'bout the mission?"

"Not really, no..." He shook his head in response and looked back down at his lap. "I just don't know how to tell Beans this... I mean, that I'll be gone for quite some time. She got quite upset to hear that I would be gone to Tuskagee for about a week..."

"Well, we know that too well, don't we, Hicks?" The bountyhunter chuckled and tilted his head at Hicks, who only gave a light snort in response. "So, I'm guessin' ya took my advice an' proposed to 'er, eh? Or has she always been, y'know, obsessive?"

"No no no! I mean, yes, I DID propose to her, and we DID get married! But that's not why she didn't want me to go away..." The sheriff scratched the back of his head. "She's, ahum, she's four months pregnant, and even if Doc estimated her to have at least five months left, she don't want me to risk missing the-...!" He didn't even get to finish the sentence as a hard slam on the back knocked the air out of his lungs and caused his hat to fall off.

"Congratulations, friend!" Rango laughed along with his gang, and Fledge reached over the table to shake the chameleons hand. "Those are good news indeed! How 'bout a lil' celebration on that, eh?"

"Hey, didn't you just say 'no drinkin'' while in Tuskagee?!" Caleb pointed out when the bountyhunter signed for the bartender.

"I said a lil' celebration, kid, not a beer dunkin' competition!" The basilisk rolled his eyes. "Ya can handle one glass, cant'cha?"

Caleb snorted. "O-of course!"

Shortly, a waitress arrived with seven glasses of cactus juice on a tray, one left out since Coral wasn't around. But to everyones surprise, Priss declined. "Sorry guys, but I gotta find Bentley first. It's kinda important..."

"Oh yeah, apparently Bentley has joined the red sashes!" The bountyhunter said as he just remembered it and took his glass off the tray. "Poor guy don't even know what gang he's gotten mixed up with now, so it would be good to get him outta it in case we gotta fight him later..."

"Exactly!" Priss nodded and turned to Caleb, who suspiciously sniffed on his glass. "Now, Caleb, where did ya run into Bentley?"

"Why should I tell ya?!"

"B'cause I'll probably have to be yellin' at him for a bit"

"Third Street Saloon, in an alley they call 'Third Street'"

She rolled her eyes and put her hat back on her head. "Why thanks a lot, brat!"

"No problems, harlot!"

The bountyhunter chuckled at the two aye-ayes, and after Priss had left, he raised his glass. "So, how 'bout a toast for our ol' friend 'ere? Someone who had the audacity to steal my name an' the credits for my hard work, an' STILL manages to not only earn the Grim Reapers respect, but mine as well!" He glanced down at the sheriff and smirked when the chameleon chuckled nervously and gulped. "A toast, for sheriff Rango an' his family!"

"And while we're at it!" Sheriff Rango hurried to add. "Why not have a toast for YOUR bird and her family as well?"

The other Rango flinched. "M-my bird?" And as the sheriff told him about Arrow and her two chicks, his smile grew wider and raised his glass. "Well now, this calls for a second round! Doesn't it?"

Caleb winced as he stared at his first glass that he barely had touched. "Help..."

…

It took a while for Priscilla to find the alley called 'Third Street' and the tiny saloon named after it. When she stepped inside, she immediately began to look around for Bentley. But to her disappointment she couldn't see him anywhere! Hoping she was in the right saloon at least, she walked up to the counter, where a female African wild dog was standing and cleaned a couple of pints with a cloth.

"Um, excuse me..." Priss said and the wild dog instantly looked up from the large glass in her hands.

"Can I help ya, ma'am?" She asked and put the glass down to fill it up with beer from a tap.

"Actually, yeah, I'm lookin' for someone..." Priscilla nodded and sat down on one of the bar chairs. "I'm lookin' for an hyena, a brown hyena. He's really hard to miss; pretty big an' tall, laughs a lot-...!"

"So ya lookin' fo Bentley, huh?" The wild dog said without letting her finish the sentence and hollered at someone called 'Joe' further down the counter before sliding the big glass of beer to him.

Priss blinked in surprise and nodded. "Yeah, ya know him?"

The wild dog chuckled. "Absolutely! He's a regular here" She filled up another glass of beer and pushed it to someone called 'Frank'. "Sorry gurl, but ya jus' miss him. A couple of 'em red sashes came an' fetch 'im jus' a couple o' minutes ago, said der boss was back an' wanna talk to 'im"

"Oh..." Priss felt her stomach churn in worry. That wasn't good to hear!

"You're her, aint'cha?" The wild dog suddenly said, which caused Priss to look up and blink in confusion. "Prissy? Da girl he never shuts up 'bout?"

She blushed and held back a gulp. "N-never shut's up 'bout..? Uh, y-yeah..." She chuckled nervously. "Th-the name's Priscilla, though, but he's never called me that..."

The wild dog nodded and held out a pawlike hand over the counter. "The name's Sheena. I've heard a lot 'bout'cha, ma'am!"

Priss shook Sheenas hand. "Funny, can't say I've heard 'bout you though..."

"I dunno..." Sheena shrugged. "Maybe he jus' don't think I'm 'portant 'nuff to talk 'bout?"

"Anyway, do ya know where I could find him?" Priscilla asked, hoping to change the subject back to Bentleys whereabouts, before she risked getting paranoid and jealous... "When he's done with that talk with his boss, that is..."

Sheena shrugged again. "Can't say fo sure, but I think if he doesn't decide to hang out with da other red sashes in their headquarters, he'll prolly be back 'ere"

Priscilla nodded, and was about to stay and wait for him in the saloon, but then she remembered what Rango said about not drawing too much attention and instead thanked Sheena and left to go back to the hotel. She knew what time she would meet up again with the gang the next day, and where. But until then there really wasn't much to do, except waiting for Bentley to maybe return to Third Street Saloon.

…

A couple of hours later, Bentley walked into the little saloon on Third Street and slumped down by the counter again. His head fell down on the counter with a loud bang, that alerted Sheena and Flint about his presence. She grinned, returned to the counter with an empty tray and nodded to Bentley, who didn't lift his head from the shiny, wooden surface.

"So ya back already, bro?" She chuckled and began to rummage for a bottle of cactus juice.

"Yeah... I don't think I'll be needin' a drink yet though..." He answered with a muffled voice.

"Okay" Sheena shrugged and put the bottle she found, back on the shelf.

"The boss wants me to go with a package to Mobile... In Alabama..." The hyena continued, still without lifting his head.

She flinched. "Alabama? Dude, that's really far away, ain't it?!"

"Yeah... But that's not the worst..." This time, Bentley slowly lifted his head up from the counter and sighed. "I promised myself never to return to that place... Man, just talkin' 'bout it makes me think of Tim Meaher, that slaver who sold me to the Aventines!" A shudder went through his body and without a word, Sheena found the bottle of cactus juice again and poured him a glass. He accepted it with a low, muttering "thank you".

"So I guess ya dun wanna take da mission, huh?" Sheena said and put the half empty bottle down on the counter.

Bentley shook his head and sipped on his drink. "Ya can say that again..."

"Want some better news?" Suddenly the wild dog female grinned and leaned her elbows against the counter. "Ya can never guess who came through 'ere earlier askin' for ya!"

He looked at her with a nervous frown. "W-what did he look like? A collared lizard? Did he have a mean lookin' scar right across his face and bucktoothed?! Did he say I owe him money?!"

She chuckled and shook her head. "Nah, man. She was way purdier dan dat!"

"Sh-she?"

"I think yer Prissy is 'ere in town!" She almost burst out laughing at Bentleys paralyzed facial expression, completely frozen in shock. "A lil', purdy thin' with a real' long tail an' huge, amber eyes? She came through 'ere right after ya left an' asked for ya, sayin' her name was Priscilla!"

Bentley quickly gulped down the contents in his glass and threw a couple of dollars on the desk before jumping down from the tall chair and bolted out into the alley, all in what seemed like one swift movement. Sheena was about to tell him that she was likely to return to the saloon later, but the hurried frenzy he suddenly had been in was just too amusing to interrupt!

"Oh well" She chuckled to herself. "I hope those two find each other!" Flint, who was standing by the other end and cleaned out little whiskey glasses, nodded in agreement.

…

That night, shortly after the sun had set, Bentley returned to his room at the hotel, disappointed. He had turned the entire town upside down and searched everywhere for Priscilla, but came up with nothing! She was nowhere to be found!

He slumped down on his bed and buried his face in his hands. Maybe Sheena had been mistaken? What if it really was that bucktoothed lizard out to get his money back, but he had just dressed himself up? Nah, Sheena would never fall for something like that! But what if it really was Prissy? Then, why on Earth would she go all the way here? No matter how much he hoped it to be so, he really doubted she would be here just for his sake.

With a sigh, he withdrew the old scarf from the pocket of his coat, and smiled faintly while playing around with it in his hands. She was here alright. And something told him she was close. Really close!

And right then, Priscilla returned to her room as well, just as disappointed. She had gone back to the saloon when the night fell, hoping to find Bentley, but he wasn't there. According to Sheena, he had left running as if he was being chased by the devil, as soon as she told him that his Prissy had been there looking for him, and since then they hadn't seen him at all.

She kicked her boots off and fell flat down on her back on the bed. She stared up at the ceiling with a hollow gaze, bitterly cursing Bentley for not staying in one place. But at least he knew she was here, hopefully that would keep him from leaving until they met. Unless he got in such a hurry to avoid her? But why would he want to avoid her?

A streak of jealousy made her grit her teeth and sat upright. She could never know what he was up to while he was away, and that Sheena seemed almost a bit TOO familiar with him. Was Bentley really the kind who would fool around on the side when his girlfriend wasn't nearby? Maybe that's why he got nervous and tried to avoid her?!

_Don't be silly!_ She told herself and felt bad for actually thinking that lowly of him. _Bentley? Cheat on ya? Bitch, you know him better than that!_

She yawned and rubbed her eye. It had been a long day, perhaps a bit too long. No wonder she was overthinking! They had a mission to focus on first, and by tomorrow, Durango would have come up with a plan. And she would hopefully have more time to look for Bentley, and at least now she had a clue where he could be: Third Street Saloon. Too bad Sheena didn't know what hotel he was staying at...

…

The next morning, Priscilla wasn't too keen on getting up. Again! Hell, this bed was way too comfy! But she knew she had to get up eventually, and go to the cafe they had decided as their meeting point. And the mission. That damn mission. WHY did they accept it now again?! But then she remembered; she alone had decided to accept it to get rid off the wanted posters, especially the one on Bentley. With that thing gone, he would finally be able to stay with her without having to worry about bountyhunters. Then, as a nice side bonus if they cleared this mission alive, they would all be rewarded a 'handsome' sum and a trading post would be built in Dirt. Not too shabby!

Still sleepy, but she managed to get dressed and find the cafe, where both of the Rangos and the gang, except for Coral, already had gathered. Caleb was clenching his head, burying his fingers into his big, curly mess of hair and had the familiar agony of hangover around him. Apparently, he couldn't handle his drinks that well after all.

She ordered a cup of coffee to wake herself up and joined the men. "So, ya had some time to plan, I hope?" She asked the bountyhunter while stirring in her cup.

The basilisk nodded. "I sure have, an' I came to the conclusion that it would be safest to split 'to two groups when dealin' with this mission. First group will be consistin' of all of us except for the sheriff an' y'two..." He grinned slyly at Caleb and Priscilla, who both looked up and gulped. They got a bad feeling from the look on his face. "Ya'll probably hate this, but I want the two of you to go to Sheridans party, representin' the Longway family, with sheriff Rango as yer escort..."

Priscilla spat out her coffee as Caleb nearly fell off his chair. "WHAT?!"

**Gawd, I'm sorry if it feels as if everything is passing slowly, but I promise: the story WILL move on a lot faster in a while ;D!**

**And I'm once again so, so sorry it's late ;_;...**


	7. The red sash

**Gah, so sorry I disappeared during the week o_o... There was just so much to do that I more or less had to turn my back to everything else and just focus on my school work so I could get it all done before the break... Usually I'd let you guys know when things like that happens, but this time I was just under so much stress that I never got the time to... Sorry guys ;_;...**

**Aaaand it's chapter seven and they're still in Tuskagee :I... **

***** Chapter Seven : The Red Sash *****

"WHAT?!" Caleb and Priscilla exclaimed at the same time.

Rango the bountyhunter chuckled and folded his arms. "I knew y'two would hate it..."

"Hate it?!" Priscilla spat, and Caleb nodded in agreement.

"I despise it!" The teen said and glanced at the other aye-aye. "B'sides, there's NO way anyone would b'lieve that we're married!"

"They won't have to, b'cause you'll be goin' as brother an' sister..." Hicks said and couldn't help but to smirk too.

Caleb still didn't look impressed. "But, then people will think we're actually related! And that's even worse!"

"Actually, I think this is a pretty good idea" Sheriff Rango said, who usually never even got the chance to open his mouth in this company. "The others will be scattered around River Town and ask about Kayden Sheridan and the Jenkins Gang, and will possibly be attracting quite a lot of attention while doing so. If Sheridan is aware that Mr Murdoch hired men to sniff him out, he'll believe it's them and won't suspect us! At least not at first."

"But what 'bout this?!" The teen pointed at the huge black-eye. "Won't he suspect THIS?! It ain't exactly inconspicuous!"

"Hopefully it'll have healed up by the time ya reach River Town" The bountyhunter answered without skipping a beat. "If it hasn't you'll just have to come up with somethin'; say someone robbed ya or somethin'!"

Caleb opened his mouth to object again, but shut it. Instead he snorted and folded his arms. "But still..."

"But what 'bout clothes?" Priscilla pointed out. "Ya don't expect me an' Caleb to go to an aristocrat gatherin' lookin' like this, do ya?"

"Don't worry, we'll git'cha somethin'" The bountyhunter continued and nodded. "I talked to Buckham last night, an' he told me that the company will provide us with the money we need, under the condition that we stick to a somewhat reasonable budget. So I guess money ain't gonna be a problem for us"

Priscilla nodded silently, clearly disappointed. To be the one who have to infiltrate the Sheridan residence would be bad enough, now she and Caleb also has to go together disguised as brother and sister! _Bentley better be off the hook when we're done_... She thought bitterly and sipped on her coffee. _This better be worth it!_

When their tasks were clear, sheriff Rango proceeded to tell them the rest of the plan: "So, what we're gonna do now is that Rango and his group travel with the first train that passes River Town, while we first ride to Diego City and catches a train from there!"

Priscilla flinched and nearly spat out her coffee again. She had thought things could get worse, but of course got proven wrong; she and Caleb would be siblings, and they would take a detour to Diego City. The last place on Earth she wanted to go.

"An' the reason we're leavin' from different places an' arrivin' at different times, is to once again draw the attention away from the two of you" The bountyhunter continued with a slow nod. "In other words, this mission will be dependin' on y'two, an' yer influence on Mr Sheridan"

"Even the BIGGER reason to choose someone else!" Caleb exclaimed, but was quickly hushed by the others as his voice startled the entire cafe. "I mean just look at us; an orphaned beggar and a hillbilly prostitute, we ain't exactly aristocrat-material!"

Priscilla let the 'hillbilly prostitute' remark pass, for now, and nodded in agreement with the teen. "I hate to admit it, but the brat is right; I ain't cut out for this kinda stuff!"

"Nonsense!" The bountyhunter snorted. "I reckon y'two would be the only of us who'd ever be able to git close 'nuff to Sheridan without drawin' to much suspicion!"

"Why?" Priscilla and Caleb asked in unison.

"Ya should know Caleb, what was that ya said; 'aye-ayes always stick together'?" Hicks said and chuckled when the teens face turned slightly red.

"That was the ramblings of a drunkard!" He snorted and folded his arms. "I never said that!"

"Well, that's what gave me the idea" The bountyhunter shrugged and snickered slyly. "Sure, we have no idea what this Sheridan-guy look like, but seein' as he came from the royal family of the aye-ayes kingdom, I think it's safe to say that he's an aye-aye himself. If it is like ya said, Caleb, then I reckon he'd more than gladly accept 'yer sister' an' ya 'to his house!" Caleb only growled bitterly in response and turned his head away. "Now, ya got any more questions or objections?" Nobody said a word in reply, so the bountyhunter grinned and kicked back in his chair.

Priscilla sighed and looked down in her cup. Empty. "I'll be right back..." She said lowly and stood up from her chair, hoping that she could get a refill over by the counter. After hearing the plan, she figured she would need at least a couple of gallons of coffee if she ever were to get the strength to go along with it!

…

Sheriff Rango, Priscilla and Caleb wasn't going to leave until later that night, so she decided to return to Third Street to hear if Sheena had any news about Bentley, but to her disappointment, yet hardly surprised: nothing. Sheena hadn't even seen him all day!

"I bet he's lookin' for ya too, but ya keep missin' each otha!" The wild dog said and put a bottle and a couple of glasses on a tray for a pair of fancy looking fellas in the corner. "Hell I dunno what'cha s'posed ta do, ma'am. If ya leave he'll prolly come back 'ere jus' after ya gone an' complain that he can't find'cha!"

Priscilla grimaced and gently rocked the glass of cactus juice she bought, looking at the dark amber liquid swishing about in the short glass. "Yeah, you're awfully right..." She said with a hopeless sigh. "But if I stay here he'll never show up 'til I gotta go!"

Sheena nodded and picked the tray up. "That's Bentley for ya! Just a moment, ma'am" She said before she left to leave the bottle and the glasses with the fancy looking men. Priscilla kept silently staring into her drink.

None of the two women noticed the tall hyena walk into the saloon, his ears drooping and shoulders slouching. Bentley had been looking all morning for Priscilla, and this time he had actually got up a trace: Mr King, the barber, had seen a female fitting her description head for the cafe on First Street, but when he got there she was gone. Kaput! So without anywhere else to turn, he returned to his friends at the Third Street Saloon, and slumped down on one of the tall chairs by the opposite end of the bardesk.

"Umm, Flint..." He asked the bartender, who flinched when he noticed that Bentley was sitting by the counter, staring down at the surface with a beat down look on his face. Flint was about to open his mouth and point at Priscilla further down when he got interrupted by Bentley again. "Are ya really sure it was Prissy who came lookin' for me? Not a lizard with a scar?" Flint frowned and nodded, and was about to point at Priscilla again, but Bentley didn't even look up. "I've been lookin' for her all day yesterday, and all mornin' too! She's nowhere, man!" He winced and rested his elbows on the counter. "What if she left?! Or think I left?!"

Right then, Sheena returned with an empty tray. "Hiya, Bentley!" She greeted instinctively and reached for an new bottle she were to refill another mans drink with when she realized who it was she just greeted. She froze halfway in the air with the bottle in her hand before quickly spinning around to face him. "Bentley!" She said loudly and harsh, making Bentley jump and look up.

"Uh, yeah?"

"Ya stay right there, y'hear me?!" The wild dog said in a warning tone and walked back out from behind the counter. "Don't move a muscle!"

Bentley worriedly flicked his ear. "W-wha-? What's wrong? W-what did I do?" He asked carefully and followed Sheena with his eyes.

"Nothin', just don't move from dat spot!" She repeated and walked with determined strides towards the other end, where Priscilla sat.

Priscilla was quietly thinking what to do. She didn't want to move from her seat in case Bentley came back, but what if he didn't? Maybe it would be safer to actually go out there and look for him, but then there was this thing with not drawing too much unwanted attention. When Sheena suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her down from the chair, she was abruptly yanked out of her thoughts and almost instinctively turned around and punched the one who grabbed her.

"Sh-Sheena? What's-...?"

"C'mere, gurl!" The wild dog said and grinned slyly as she pulled the confused aye-aye with her back to the other end. "There's someone I'd like'cha to meet!"

Bentley frowned and stood up from the chair when he saw Sheena return with someone a lot shorter tagging along. "W-wait, who's...?"

"Ey, Bentley!" She called out before throwing Priscilla out in front of her. "I think this belongs to ya!"

Priscilla staggered and looked up, just as Bentley let out a happy gasp. "Prissy!?" He exclaimed and she instantly recognized him too, but before she got the time to say anything, she found herself being trapped in his arms. "I've been lookin' ALL OVER for ya!" He said and squeezed her tightly until she began to struggle to breathe.

She managed to writhe out of his arms enough to be able to lock eyecontact with him. "I know; I've been lookin' for ya too! Where the heck have ya been?!"

"I've been turnin' the town upside down lookin' for you, that's where I've been!"

"Couldn't ya have stayed put in ONE place so maybe I would've found ya a LOT easier?!"

He shrugged. "Yeah, but I thought I'd see you a lot quicker if I went out lookin' for ya!"

"Obviously ya were wrong, knucklehead!" The odd couple looked at each other with pouty frowns, before cracking up in smiles at the same time. She threw her arms around his waist and buried her face into his chest. "But it sure is damn good to have found ya!"

He didn't hesitate to return the hug. "Yeah, you too... Thanks, Sheena...?" But just as he looked up to thank the wild dog, he noticed that she was gone. Probably off to tend to the other saloon guests. He shrugged and hugged Priss tighter before letting go to allow her to breathe again. "Now, what are you doin' here, girl?" He asked and tilted his head, holding her at an arms length. "Don't get me wrong; I LOVE seein' ya here! I'm just a bit surprised, that's all; I never expected ya to follow me here!... Or, it ain't why you're here, innit?"

She shook her head. "Not really, no... I'm here on business"

His ears drooped and he turned his eyes away. "Oh... But that's okay, I guess..."

"But I've been lookin' for ya b'cause we need to talk!" She said and glanced down at the red sash he was wearing. "It's real' important!"

The seriousness in her voice made him cringe and glance back up at her. "H-have I done somethin' bad again?"

"Not necessarily" Her answer obviously puzzled him, but before he got to open his mouth, she added: "An' we can't talk here, it's classified too!"

He nodded silently. He didn't like the tone in her voice, she sounded worried somehow. Usually when Priss sounded worried and wanted to talk with him, it was because something bad happened, and it would most of the time end with one of them getting sad or upset. Something that Bentley really hated to be, or seeing Priss be. Then again, she could also just wanna tell him that she's forgotten how to make pancakes? Which was totally okay, by the way. Sad, but okay! Or, what if she wanted to break up?

It was a very worried Bentley that followed her out from the saloon, but when he passed Sheena and saw her give him a thumbs-up, he couldn't help but to grin widely, point at Priscilla in front of him and nod frantically.

…

Bentley kept coming up with new reasons for Priscillas worry as he followed her up to her hotel room, which was only a few doors before his room (he almost punched himself in the face when he noticed).

_What if she's worried b'cause I'm always on the run, a-and is gonna try to convince me to stay locked up in a cellar for the rest of my life?! I'd actually be okay with that, if it's in HER cellar and she'll be with me 24/7... O-or what if she's sick an' tired of always havin' to stand up for my sorry skin and wanna b-break up?! I would NOT be okay with that!_ He almost began biting his nails as they went up the stairs to their corridor. _Or what if she's sick, dyin' even?! Nah, she seems too perky to be dyin'... Hey, wh-what if she's pregnant!? Oh shit! A-and what if she's worried that I don't want the kid or somethin', o-or stop lovin' her?! But that's crazy talk; of COURSE I want the kid AND her! Hmm, she doesn't look preggers, she's just as skinny as ever... Can I even make her pregnant? Man, if she's pregnant that would be AWESOME! I've ALWAYS wanted a kid! But, what if she dies? Hell, MY mom died! Prissy can't die on me?! Not now! _

"Bentley...?" Priscilla asked with a slightly tilted head and abruptly woke him up from his thoughts. "What'cha thinkin' 'bout? Ya look so concerned?" She got to her door and began to fumble with the key to unlock it, and Bentley groaned loudly when he saw how close her room was to his.

"My room is just over there!" He winced and pointed down along the corridor.

She cocked an eyebrow at him and followed his finger. "... You're kiddin' me, right?" He shook his head and she rolled her eyes as she unlocked her door. "I knew ya weren't far away..." She opened the door and motioned for him to move inside, before someone who might know him or her came by. "Now, what we're ya thinkin' 'bout? I can tell when you're thinkin' 'bout somethin' that worries ya. Trust me; I know ya by now!"

He hesitated before shrugging and let out a short chuckle. "I dunno, I guess I was just worryin' over what you seemed so worried 'bout!" He heard her close the door, so he sat down on the bed, folded his arms and cocked his head at her. "Now, what was so important and secret that ya had to drag me back to the hotel to tell it?" He grinned slyly. "Or is it somethin' else?"

She rolled her eyes with a low chuckle and folded her arms as well. "Don't get any ideas! I just really need to talk to ya 'bout-...!"

"'Bout what?"

"... I was gettin' to that..." She sighed in annoyance over have been interrupted and shot the red sash around his hips a worried glance. "It's the sash, Bentley..."

He blinked in confusion and looked down at the sash. "This thing?" He picked up the long, loose ends and waved them around as he tilted his head at her. "What's with it?"

Priscilla frowned worriedly. "Bentley, be honest now, do ya know what it means? Or even the name of the gang you're in?"

"Nope" He shrugged. "All I know is that people seem scared of it, and it gives me free stuff! Wait, gang? What gang?" He flicked one of his ears. "They've told me it's an organization, y'know, like WWF!"

"Would people be that scared of WWF?"

"... Point taken..."

She looked at him with an almost emotionless face. He didn't seem to be lying, and it was easy to tell when he was lying. Hell, she can't even remember that he had ever lied to her about something like this!

She sighed heavily and sat down on the bed next to him. "You're in a big criminal gang, call it a mafia if ya want, called the Jenkins Gang. It was disbanded nearly fifteen years ago when Rango, YER ol' boss, killed its seven leaders; the Jenkins brothers." She could tell by the way Bentleys head hung lower and lower as she talked, that what she was saying actually got through to him! "But now they're back, an' for some reason they've targeted the big international tradin' companies! Why, we don't know, an' who restarted the gang, we don't know either" She hesitated, not knowing if she should tell him about their mission. After all; he WAS a member of the gang they had been sent out to destroy.

"I'm sorry, Prissy..." He mumbled and averted her eyes. "I didn't know, really!"

"It's okay, it ain't yer fault!" She said with a shake of her head and put her hand over his big, pawlike one. "But can ya do me a favor an' get rid of it? I really don't want ya to get in' more trouble than what ya already are!"

He lowered his head even more and turned away. "I can't... I've heard... Stories, 'bout what happens to those who leave the organi-, errm, the gang. One of the first things they told me when I joined was that the only way you could leave would be in a pine box..." He paused and squeezed her hand lightly. "I didn't really think much 'bout it back then... All I cared 'bout was that it would make it easier for me to see ya more often, I would never have thought that me, Lewis and the others were part of a gang!"

She frowned. "But ya can't stay innit either! It'll get'cha in more trouble!"

"How do ya know that?" He looked up at her again and grinned carefully. "So far nothin's happened, right? A-and people seem to have too much respect for the sash to wanna do somethin' 'bout 'em either!"

She hesitated. "In fact, there is..." She said lowly and now it was her turn to avert her eyes for a moment, before she looked back up at him. "I really shouldn't be tellin' ya this, but the reason me an' sheriff Rango came here is b'cause we got called in for a mission, in which we are supposed to help bringin' down the ones b'hind the Jenkins Gangs return from the inside. We'll be leavin' for River Town tonight, an' by then I wanna see this sash gone! Ya understand?!"

Bentley was silent for a while, before he nodded mutely. "Yeah... I-I understand..." He smiled faintly and hopelessly shook his head. "How come we're always on opposite sides of the law, no matter what we do?"

"B'cause ya got a tendency for fallin' 'to the wrong crowds, Bentley" She answered and scooted closer. "We gotta change that!"

He draped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. "I'm okay with that!" He said, and did something he's been longing to do ever since he met her; he leaned down, put a pair of fingers under her chin to tilt her nose up and kissed her. He would never get tired of the taste of her lips. Every damn kiss from her was mind-shattering, and he could already feel all the worries in the world just fade away into nothing. But suddenly to his disappointment, she pulled away and put a pair of fingers in front of his mouth stop him from trying to kiss her again.

"I wasn't done..." She said, trying to sound stern but it was hard with that smile she had on her face. "Ya can't tell anyone what I've told ya, y'hear? Nobody, not even Sheena an' Flint!" He nodded impatiently.

"Don't worry, I wont! My lips are sealed! Speakin' of which..." He smirked and wrapped his arms around her waist.

She laughed when he began to plant kisses along her neck and jawline. "Hey, there's one more thing!" She said and shrugged him off, placing a hand on his cheek to make him look into her eyes, which wasn't all too difficult. "If our mission succeeds, those posters with yer face will be gone! Murdoch said that if we cleared our mission, he'd get Rango an' his gang freed, includin' you!"

He was quiet for a while, before he grinned and brushed away a strand of her wavy hair that fell over her face. "That's the best news I've since I heard you were in town!" He snickered and leaned down closer to her. "This deserves a celebration, don't it?"

She laughed again before she was kissed, this time she nestled her fingers into the thick mane on his neck and kissed him back. She and the others wouldn't leave until later, and as long as she was here Bentley wouldn't be going anywhere either. She had plenty of time to spend with him.

…

It was almost pitch black outside as Bentley lied all curled up in his bed in his hotel room, staring into the wall. Priscilla, the sheriff and Caleb the brat had left almost two hours ago, and he missed her already. He always missed her as soon as they parted, and he hated it. He wanted to follow her, and he was seriously contemplating doing so! But, he needed to get rid of the sash. He had to leave the gang, but how? He had heard that those who left the gang were never seen alive again, and after hearing what kind of gang it really was, he had no problems at all with believing it!

So he couldn't just leave, they would figure him out at once and follow him! Hell, they might even hurt Prissy if they got their hands on her too! But then again, he did have a reason to leave: the delivery to Alabama!

He got up from the bed and began to get dressed as an idea began to form in his mind; he could tell everyone he was headed to Alabama with the package, when he in reality just could follow Priscilla and the others to River Town! So far he had yet to fail a delivery, no matter how far away it was, so they would never guess a thing! All he had to do was to convince Lewis, and no one would question it!

Sure that he would decide to start with the delivery mission at this late time would be a bit odd, but hell, if they asked he could always make something up at the spot! No problems! He would so much rather go with Priscilla than go to Mobile, again! Just thinking about that place made him remember Tim Meaher, the slaver that purchased the slaves from the Clotilde, the ship that took Bentley from his home. Hell, he still couldn't shake the feeling of the golden tamarins cold, bony fingers ruffling around in his mane and hair, looking for fleas, or poking around in his mouth and ears. It still made him flinch in fear even to this day when someone touched his ears or mouth, except for Priscilla, though. Hell, she could touch anything she wanted...

"Just wait for me Prissy..." He snickered to himself and pulled on his boots. "I'm comin' with ya!"

**Argh this one was soo late...**

**And next chapter will be delayed as heck too, since I'll at first hand focus on finishing Bentleys story this week! It's only two chapters left now ;D! Two chapter which will be hard as heck to write o_o...  
**


	8. A joker in the game

**YES! I'm FINALLY done with TLO, which means that I now can focus wholeheartedly on this for the rest of the year ;P! **

**Anyways, I'm sorry for the wait! I'm slowly feeling my imagination drain thanks to all this KHBDSGKJBH schoolwork...**

**But now it's here, and now let's see if we can make some progress! This is another filler chapter which was slow as heck to write -.-... Gawd, I can't wait until things finally will begin to happen! It might seem unlikely at this point, but I promise you: shit will go down in a few chapter ;P **

***** Chapter Eight: A Joker In The Game *****

The night was pitch black when the trio finally found a safe place to make camp for the night. They had reached the rocky trails outside the Mojave desert, following them would eventually lead them to Diego City. Two giant boulders leaning against each other had created a small cave, where sheriff Rango, Priscilla and Caleb decided to rest for the remainder of the night. It had already started to get dark when they left Tuskagee, but at least they managed to put a great distance between themselves and the town.

While Caleb tended to their roadrunners and sheriff Rango made up a fire, Priscilla left to search for more firewood. It was tricky to navigate through the rocks and brambles in the darkness, but after a lot of stumbling around she managed to find a whole heap of sticks they could burn. When she returned to the camping site, Rango had managed to get a fire started, and both Caleb and him was sitting around the campfire. Only Rango acknowledged her arrival when she dropped off the firewood and slumped down on the ground. Nobody said anything.

"So, how far is it left to Diego City?" Priscilla asked to avoid the silence getting too awkward.

Sheriff Rango shrugged. "Two days at most. We'll get there just in time for the train, so there won't be time for any sightseeing" Priscilla let out a relieved sigh. Risk running into someone she knew was the last thing she wanted. "We'll leave the roadrunners in their stables. I've messaged Dirt and asked someone to come and take 'em back home, so they'll be taken care of!"

Priscilla flinched. "Wh-what?! We'll leave the 'runners? Why?!"

"Well, how many fancypants do you see ridin' 'to town on dusty ol' 'runners?!" Caled looked up from the fire and arched an eyebrow at her. "If we're gonna give people the impression that we're a pair of filthy rich spoiled siblings from some big, faraway ranch, we shouldn't just strut in there like a bunch of cowboys 'bout to hit the saloons"

"But, they're just 'runners?"

"Exactly, just plain 'runners! Rich people don't just ride the first, best bird they can get their hands on! They refuse to sit on anythin' without a gold-lined pedigree!" He paused and glanced over at their three roadrunners. "And the only one in that pile that at least LOOKS as if he might have decent parents is the white one, the sheriffs"

Priscilla nodded slowly and clenched her jaw. He had a point there, but she still didn't like the idea of just leaving Birdie behind! Hell, they were partners, and you just never left your partner behind! Ever!

"Oh, and there's one more thing y'all should know, somethin' I didn't remember 'til now..." Caleb added, and there was a serious tint in his voice this time. "'Family' is a very strong word for people like the Sheridans, and I bet the first thing he'll ask us is 'bout our parents. Hell, one of the first things Umbra asked was: 'who are yer parents?'! Not as in 'where are yer parents?', or 'does yer parents know you're here?', but as in who they were! Their names, their class, their goddamn parents and grandparents! Everythin'! Sure, I know a bit 'bout my parents, but what 'bout you, harlot?"

"Only their names, an' STOP callin' me things! It's really startin' to get annoyin'!"

"Duh, yer face is annoyin'!"

Rango flinched and quickly jumped in between the two aye-ayes, diverting another one of their random fights. "Focus, you two! Now, Caleb, this might be something important; what was that on your mind?"

Caleb glanced from the sheriff to his deputy, snorted and then folded his arms and leaned back. "I'm just a bit pissed that I didn't recall this sooner, so I could use it against Rango, but if Sheridan DOES notice us, he'll likely be more interested in our parents than us at first. Therefore, if we're gonna be actin' as brother and sister, we better come up with a good excuse for our parents like, NOW! We can't just sit there like stutterin' retards when he asks, b'cause he will" The teen paused and raised both his eyebrows at her. "So?"

She was quiet for a while, but then she shrugged. "I dunno? Say we're adopted or somethin'?"

"Yeah, b'cause that's not cliché at all..."

"Well do ya have a better idea then?!"

Caleb shook his head from side to side. "Nope!"

"I thought so!"

The three spent a long time arguing and debating, trying to come up a believable story to tell the lord, and since neither of them knew especially much about the island their real parents came from, they agreed on to play as stupid as possible. Caleb couldn't help but to comment and say that wouldn't take a lot of acting from Priscilla, but that comment earned him a punch to his already existing black-eye and made him shut up.

Without really gotten far in their plans, the gang decided that it would be better to quit for the night and get some shuteye, while it still was dark. But only a few minutes afterward, they heard a strange noise in the distant night. Priscilla was the first one who heard it and instantly jolted up from her sleeping spot and threw the blanket aside, drawing one of her revolvers. Caleb noticed her reaction and he too tensed up when he heard it. They both glanced at sheriff Rango; sleeping like a log. The sound got closer, and after a while they could identify it as the sound of a roadrunner climbing around on the rocky road. The sound of it's talons scratching against the rocks was soon accompanied by a voice that seemed to be talking to it. And it got closer by the second!

Priscilla snuck out to the caves opening and pressed herself against the wall, while Caleb grabbed a fist-sized rock and remained in his corner. She was ready to jump out and drag the rider down from his roadrunner if he passed, which judging from how close they were getting would be pretty likely, but then she hesitated because of the voice that was talking seemingly to nobody. That voice was so familiar!

"Look, buddy, I know I said I'd trust yer intuition, but seriously?! Do you REALLY have to go through every damn bush an' bramble ya see?! I swear, I have leaves and thorns in my pants, Grumps! In my PANTS!"

She let out a relieved sigh and relaxed, lowering her gun and stepped outside. She couldn't see anyone in the darkness, but she heard leaves rustling and clawed paws moving around on the ground, and of course: his voice.

She formed her hands around her mouth and shouted: "BENTLEY?! IS THAT YOU?!"

The noises suddenly stopped and it became quiet for a couple of seconds. "PRISSY?!" Was the surprised yet excited answer.

"OVER HERE!" She waved, hoping that he would spot her in the faint light of the fading campfire.

Meanwhile, sheriff Rango had woken up from the shouting, and rubbed his large, bulging eyes as he yawned and got up into a sitting position. "Wh-what's goin' on, Beans?" He mumbled groggily.

"Nothin', Peas..." Caleb muttered and tossed the rock over his shoulder and lied down on his side again. "It's just the hyena"

"The hyena...? Oh..." Rango got a worried frown on his face he heard a roadrunner come to a sliding stop outside the cave, shortly followed by a loud 'thud' as the heavy rider jumped down and ran to embrace Priscilla. Did the hyena managed to track them down?! On his own?! Despite that Priscilla seemed overjoyed to see him, Rango couldn't help but to feel a bit nervous. This man was, after all, a member of the Jenkins Gang. For all they know, he could be here to spy on them!

But Priscilla didn't even consider that for a second as she jumped up, threw her arms around her lovers neck and hugged him back. She knew Bentley wouldn't betray them, especially not her. When she also noticed that he wasn't wearing the sash anymore, she beamed at him and contemplated kissing him on the lips, but restrained herself.

"I see the sash is gone..." She cooed instead and grinned widely.

He nodded returned her grin. "Yup! It's gone forever! I ain't NEVER puttin' it back on!" He wasn't as good at restraining himself like she was, so he gingerly tilted her nose up with a pair of his fingers. "Thanks for the warnin'" He said right before planting a kiss on her lips.

"Thanks for doin' what I asked ya" She said, and ignored the hurling sound Caleb did right before turning around to sleep facing the wall instead, tightly wrapping himself up in the blanket like a cocoon.

Bentley, however, noticed Caleb and raised a questioning eyebrow. "Is he mad at me for somethin'?"

"Yeah, ya can say that again" She nodded after Caleb mimicked the hyena in a ridiculed and bitter voice. "He wasn't all too happy after ya revealed him sharpin' cards in the saloon yesterday"

"Hey, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Bentley flinched when Caleb shifted around to give him a homicidal glare before wrapping himself up in the blanket again. He didn't spot the black-eye in the darkness though.

Priscilla chuckled and nodded for him to follow her inside the cave. "You'll see why he's pissed off t'morrow"

Bentley took Grumpys reins before the bird managed to sneak away on his own, and followed her inside the cave made up from a bunch of boulders. While he tied Grumpy up next to the other roadrunners, Rango got up from his sleeping spot and cleared his throat, calling for the hyenas attention.

"Ah, Bentley, wasn't it? Long time no see!" He greeted and walked up to the much larger hyena.

Bentley grinned in return. "Ey! Sheriff Funky-Eyes!"

"Now, if you don't mind me askin'; what're you doing here?" Rango skipped right to the point, or else he would probably never get there. "And how did you find us?"

"I didn't find you; Grumpy did!" He said and patted his roadrunner on the wing after he lifted off the saddle. "I just let him guide the way! He's really good at that sorta stuff!" He turned to Priscilla and grinned. "And I'm here to help you guys out! If you think you'll need me, that is"

Rango grimaced. That was just what he was afraid of. "Ahum, it's not that we're ungrateful to you, Bentley. Is just that we really don't need-...!"

"Of course! We might need yer help!" Priscilla interjected before the sheriff could finish the sentence. "Ya worked for the gang once, an' even if ya didn't know a lot 'bout it, I'm sure ya know SOMETHIN' 'bout 'em that might be of use to us!"

Bentleys grin widened. "So, you'll let me tag along?"

"Yeah, why not? Right, sheriff?" She nodded and tilted her head at the sheriff, who gulped and nodded nervously as well.

"S-sure!"

"Great, so now we're another moron in the gang! CAN YOU THREE JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP NOW?!" Caleb growled and jolted upright, glaring daggers at the others. "SOME OF US are actually tryin'a SLEEP HERE!"

Bentley suddenly flinched. "Dude, what happened to yer eye?!" He got a pebble thrown in the face as a reply.

…

And so they continued their ride to Diego City, and the night before they reached the town, Bentley revealed something to them that could force them to change their plans, or at least the sheriffs role in it; sheriff Rango from Dirt was somewhat of a celebrity in the gang, and it was very few who didn't know what he looked like! That was worrying news indeed, and it was definitely something they would have to inform the other Rango about as soon as they met up in River Town!

Luckily they didn't know much about the deputy, only that she was a young female mouse who happened to date a member of the gang. Hearing that made her roll her eyes. Sure, for a big part of her life, she had placed herself in the category 'strange mouse-thing' since she didn't even know who her parents were, and wasn't all too interested in finding out either. Now, when she at least had a slight clue where she came from, getting mixed up with a rodent kind of annoyed her when it happened. But it was a bit of a relief too, of course, since that meant she wouldn't be recognized as the deputy of Dirt the first thing she did either.

And since he had yet to acquire a poster of himself, the Jenkins Gang didn't know that Caleb was a part of the Campbell Gang either. So the two aye-ayes would probably go safe. At least the first week...

"But what 'bout you?" Caleb pointed out at Bentley after he told them around the fire. "You used to work for them, shouldn't they know who you are too?"

Bentley chuckled and shook his head. "Nah! I'm just a messenger-boy from one of their least important headquarters! I ain't important enough for them to be concerned with! B'sides..." He paused and giggled. "Ev'ryone thinks I'm half-way to Alabama right now! The opposite direction!"

However, that had made Priscilla flinch and give him an angry frown. "Hey, I thought ya said you quit?!"

"What? I never said that, did I?" He blinked at her. "Ya told me to get rid of the sash and I have! I'm never puttin' it on again!"

"Why?! Why didn't ya quit?" She spat back and scooted away from him. "I TOLD ya what kinda gang it was!"

"Hey, do ya have any idea what happens to those who quit?! I'd rather fool them big time than to end up in a pine box!"

"Ain't that what'll happen when they find out?!" She shook her head. "Bentley, I can't help you if the Jenkins Gang comes after ya for blood! The bountyhunters gives me enough trouble as it is, but I can't protect ya from a criminal gang too!"

"But they won't find out! Not 'til after we've... Wait! Hold the reins! The bountyhunters give YOU trouble?!" Before she got to answer, he turned to sheriff Rango with a panicky look on his face. "Is that true?! Are the bountyhunters givin' her a lot of trouble b'cause of me?!"

"Uh, yeah, s-sometimes..." The sheriff stuttered nervously. "B-but-...!"

Caleb cut him off with an annoyed sigh. "But are you really that surprised? Hell, she's yer girlfriend: ANYONE would turn to her for information 'bout yer whereabouts, mate! Wouldn't be surprised if they're plannin' on usin' her against you too!"

Priscilla slapped her palm against her face. "Thanks y'two..." She muttered. She had refrained from telling Bentley what it really was like between her and the countless of bountyhunters who were after the prize on his head, knowing how paranoid and overprotective he could get from hearing things like that. A Bentley having a freak-out over the trouble she gets in because of him was the last thing she wanted.

He turned to her with a scared look on his face. "Wh-why... Why haven'tcha told me, Prissy?!" He asked, and she cursed lowly under her breath, knowing the emotional speech which would soon follow. "I-I thought you'd let me know 'bout things like this! You KNOW I don't want'cha to get hurt b'cause of me, s-so ya need to tell me 'bout these things! I-I could surely come up with a way to draw their attention away from ya, no problems! You shouldn't have to protect me from these guys, I bet I can handle them!"

"Look, if there's anyone of us who can handle the bountyhunters it's me, an' ya know it!" Priscilla really tried to not turn this into a full blown argument, especially not in front of Rango and Caleb, but she just couldn't help it. Bentley wasn't a fighter, and he knew it. Hell, she had on a number of occasions seen him get defeated in one way or another by inanimate objects like chairs and barrels! So how could he expect her to just leave him to the bountyhunters like that? "Every damn day I worry that we one day will receive the news that yer bounty has been collected, an' that we no longer need to keep the poster up. So if there's anythin' that I can do to keep 'em away from ya, anythin' at all, I'd do it! I haven't told ya nothin', b'cause I knew you'd react this way!"

"So?! You could have let me know that the bountyhunters are harassin' YOU to get to me! W-what if I one day would return only to hear that the bountyhunters hurt'cha, or even killed ya?!"

"If I would've told ya, you'd never come back home! And don't think I'll stand another ten months without you, b'cause I wont!"

They were interrupted by a low sigh from Caleb. "Man, I wish I had some popcorn or somethin'... This is hilarious!" He chuckled sadly. Sheriff Rango frowned and glanced at the teen with one of his eyes, while still maintaining the other one locked on Priss and Bentley. Priscilla growled lowly and grabbed Bentleys hands, pulling him up on his feet and dragged him with her to get away from the other two.

This nights camp was in a clearing of a rocky pine tree forest, so she dragged him off to behind a big boulder split in two by a tall pine to continue trying to talk some sense into him. When she turned around to face him, he was quietly staring down at the ground, shoulders slouching and ears drooping. She sighed. Oh boy, this was going to be tough...

"Bentley? Look at me, will ya?" She asked lowly, and he hesitated before moving his eyes to look at her from underneath his bangs. "I know that you're worried 'bout me, ya worry a lot! An' that's yer problem; ya worry too much 'bout me!"

"You don't even know half of it..." He muttered and averted his eyes again. "I ain't worryin' b'cause I want to, y'know..."

She nodded slowly and looked down as well. "Yeah, I know... You've told me..." She knew very well why he easily worried about her; ever since he was a kid he had lost a lot people, and even up til this day he was STILL blaming himself for everyones fate!

"This... This is exactly like that time..." He continued in the same low mutter. "Just after the war, and we were freed... I left the plantation with a friend, a-and we met some new friends; a family... The Baxter family..." Priscilla bit down on her lip. She knew this story. He had told her this once before. "But what neither me or my friend knew, was that our old master had sent out a gang of slave catchers to kill me, as payback or somethin'. They were sent out to kill me, but... But instead they... They killed the Baxters, a-and shot Lottie... She died the next day, at sunrise..."

She hesitated before carefully reaching out her hand and touched his arm. "I'm sorry, Bentley. I really am..." She said and let her hand slide down his arm and grasp his big, pawlike hand.

"They were sent out to kill me, but killed my friends instead... The bountyhunters are also out to kill me now, but... But what if they kill you instead?"

"They won't, 'kay? I promise!" It didn't seem to convince him, as he just quietly kept staring down at the ground and gently squeezed her hand. "Look at it like this; they won't kill me b'cause they need me alive! How are they else gonna get their hands on ya?" She managed to pull off a weak smile when he once again shifted his eyes to look at her. "Don't worry 'bout me! I'll be fine, if there's anyone ya should worry 'bout is the bountyhunters, b'cause I ain't just gonna let 'em take ya away from me, y'hear?" He got an equally faint smile showing in the corners of his mouth, but then it vanished and he looked down at the ground.

"I-I'm sorry, Prissy... Sorry I'm so-...!"

She interrupted him with a snort and a wave of her hand. "Don't! Ya ain't got nothin' to apologize for! Sure, you're really difficult to live with sometimes, an' I doubt a lot of people would put up with yer antics, but I don't mind!" She let go of his hand and instead wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest. "B'cause I love ya, Bentley, an' dont'cha dare to think that I'd end up like any of yer ol' girlfriends!"

He carefully returned her hug and smiled faintly. "I love ya more, Prissy..." But then he frowned and tilted his head down at her. "Wait, ol' girlfriends? Wh-what ol' girlfriends?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Corny? Ellie? Lottie? Muriel?"

The color drained from the hyenas face. "Wh-what?! Y-you don't think they were my...? God no, Prissy! They're NOT ol' girlfriends, I swear!"

"What were they then, one-night-stands? Like I was at first?"

"Th-they were just friends, Prissy! They were my girl friends, NOT my girlfriends! It's a huge difference! B'sides, Ellie had been obsessed with this other guy ever since she was a cub! She just saw me as her lil' brother ya know! And whaddya mean ya were a one-night-stand?! Definitely NOT!"

"That ain't what Scrange told me" She said with a roll of her eyes. "He told me that y'two made a bet, to see if you could get me to sleep with ya!"

"D-don't listen to Scrange! He's a crazy lil' fat rat! He's had WAY too many cups of tea and scones in his life! B'sides, it was 'bout me makin' ya laugh, silly... He didn't think ya knew how to laugh!" She didn't answer, instead she just skeptically narrowed her eyes at him, making him feel more and more flustered. He winced. "HmmmOKAY! Okay, I admit; we DID make a bet like that, but it was so STUPID! I know!... I'm sorry..."

She chuckled and hugged him tighter. "Y'know, in a way I think it's thanks to that bet that we got together, dont'cha think?" He just blinked in confusion at her and didn't reply. "Would ya have tried so hard to get me to like'cha if ya hadn't made that bet?"

He looked as if he was thinking for a while, but then he shrugged and smiled slyly down at her. "Actually, I do! Ya know why? B'cause I fell in love! It just took a couple of days to realize what the strange feelin' was..." He hugged her back and let his chin rest on top of her head, smiling dumbly to himself. "Soo, ya ain't mad at me?"

"For what?"

"Y'know, for the stupid things I do? A-and overworryin' 'bout ya?"

"Bentley, y'know I can't stay mad at'cha! Not for long at least!" She paused and withdrew away from him. "Now let's go back to the others, 'kay?"

He hesitated for a couple of seconds, but then he grinned and nodded "Sure! I really hope they haven't eaten all the food already; I'm starvin'!"

"You're ALWAYS starvin', Bentley!"

…

They arrived to Diego City by noon the next day. Diego City was a town slightly bigger than Tuskagee, located deep within the dry, rocky pine forest they had been travel through the last 48 hours. A train track split the town in half as it seemingly appeared out of nowhere from east, and then disappeared through the cliffs and the tall trees to the west.

Priscilla had never even left the desert before, so seeing this kind of town was strange to her. Not to mention that just thinking of the people who lived there made her nervously glance over at Bentley. Apparently, this is where everything that happened three years ago started; blinded by fury, Rango the bountyhunter had decided to take his revenge on Rattlesnake-Blake, for breaking Corals heart a year earlier. On an impulse from their leader, the gang had murdered the mayors daughter Isabelle, and framed the Rattlesnake for it. Of course, Rango regret it afterward and confessed the murder in front of everyone after Jet was defeated, which caused him and the gang to become wanted for the murder in almost every state! Bentley, especially, took on a big responsibility for the murder. Apparently, Isabelle had instantly liked him, and trusted him enough even to let him lure her away. So they could murder her. He already easily felt guilty over every little thing, so Priscilla couldn't even imagine the guilt he must have felt after the murder!

And now, everyone in this town hated the bountyhunter and his men, and they would instantly recognize Bentley, and without a doubt lynch him! So before they rode into town, Priscilla told them all to stop for a moment as she turned to Bentley riding beside her. "Ya don't happen to have a disguise ready, do ya?"

**FINALLY DONE! I'm once again SO SO sorry for the wait! I just don't feel enough inspiration at the moment... But dont'cha worry; I'm sure it'll come back sooner or later (I hope sooner!)**

**And in case there's anyone else besides Liveonintheheart who wonders: yes, R-Jake WILL probably make an appearance later on in the fic, but that part it's mostly going to center around his siblings and nephew ;P**


	9. Reunion in Diego City

**Three words, guys: I Hate School... Or at least all the homework! It's like, JUST KILL ME ALREADY! WHADDYA WANT FROM ME, BLOOD?! ARGH! I swear, I used ALL my free time to write this chappie and haven't done anything else but written on this shite all week -.-! The Christmas break has never felt more far away...**

**Anyway, this is kinda like another filler-chapter... This is gonna take forever, isn't it ;_;?**

***** Chapter Nine : Reunion In Diego City *****

Luckily, there were only a few people who noticed the four riders who rode into town. Diego City seemed like a busy town, with people and wagons running to and from, so the riders could easily slip by unnoticed.

They didn't want to stay longer than what was necessary, so they instantly headed for the railroad station. They had arrived early, and according to the stationmaster, the train who passed through west would arrive in three hours. Three long hours of doing nothing but trying to stay out of peoples way and avoid getting recognized.

Three of them shortly left the station, and probably for the thirteenth time in five minutes, the tallest one in the group, who was mostly hidden underneath a blanket that quickly had been turned into a provisional cape, ran one of his huge hands up to his head and furiously scratched his ear.

"Bentley! Stop that!" Priscilla hissed at him as low as she could, while still trying to make sure that he heard her. "You're gonna ruin the disguise!"

"But it hurts!" Bentley winced in return and tried to flick one of his ears, but he couldn't; his big, triangular ears had been folded down and kept in place with a bunch of paperclips to resemble dog-ears more than hyena-ears. His face and hands were caked in black mud and his thick, dread-like hair was combed back and held in place by Priscillas old scarf. At first glance, nobody could recognize him as Bentley, or at least that's what they all hoped. "I really hate this!"

"Dont'cha DARE to get rid off the disguise 'til we're aboard the train, B!" Caleb warned and his long, fluffy tail whipped angrily. "If these morons sees you they'll lynch you, and do you have any idea of unbearable Sluterella is gonna get if that happens?!"

"Just shut up, brat!" Priscilla sharply told the teen and balled her fists. "I ain't in the mood for you an' yer insults!"

"What're ya gonna do 'bout it? Give me STDs?"

Bentley managed to intervene before Priscilla could punch the teen in the face, blocking her fist with his own hand and reeled her in to place an arm around her shoulder. That seemed to help calming her down, since she just let out an angry snort and then continued to walk with one arm around Bentleys waist. Though he wouldn't be surprised if she sooner or later began beating the crap out of the teen in the middle of the street; by just being in Diego City, all four of them were nervous and edgy. Caleb was the was worst at concealing his nervousness, and had been nagging on Priscilla ever since they rode into town, and he was really starting to get to her by now!

A couple of people had spotted Priscilla and turned their heads when they recognized the deputy of Dirt, while they had no idea who the other two was. But just the fact that they seemed to recognize her was enough to make her shrug Bentleys arm off her shoulder and walk faster to the their designated meeting point, where they would wait for Rango to return.

The safest thing to do would be to hide out in the woods for three hours, and then quickly drop their roadrunners off by the stable and get on the train. It would get boring as hell, they knew that, but rather that than being discovered in this town. But first they had to wait for Rango to join them, as he had remained in the station to buy the tickets and later sprint by the post office to send a telegram to Dirt, telling them to send someone to fetch the roadrunners. They had all agreed on meeting up in one of the towns three saloons they rode by earlier. They chose the one that was the loudest and busiest, hoping that they would be able to just slip in unnoticed and wait for the lizard to come back.

It was still early in the afternoon, so there weren't a lot of people in the saloon, yet, but the trio still managed to sneak inside unnoticed and sit down around one of the tables in the corner, the one furthest away from the bar. Bentley had barely sat down on his chair when he quickly ran both of his hands up to his ears and began to scratch them furiously.

"Hey! Stop that, I said!" Priscilla hissed lowly and put a hand on his arm, stopping him from scratching the paperclips off his ears.

"But I got stuff in my ears, Prissy!" He responded lowly and winced. "It hurts!"

Caleb kicked back on his chair and folded his arms. "When will you EVER grow some balls, B?" He sighed sadly and shook his head. "Honestly; now you're just gettin' embarrassin'!"

"Then maybe we can stick some needles in YER ears next time!" Bentley instantly snapped back with a growl, but was hushed by Priscilla.

"They ain't needles, they're just paperclips!"

"They feel like needles to me..." He muttered and pulled the hood of his blanket-cape further down over his ears. With a bored and pouty sigh, he began looking around the saloon, yet was careful not to make eyecontact with anyone.

"Where did you even get those paperclips?" Caleb tilted his head at Priscilla and cocked an eyebrow.

She shrugged. "Found 'em in my jacket. I use them when I file my paperwork, which I usually do at home. Guess I must've forgot a couple in my pockets, huh?"

"In any case, it was very convenient!"

"Ya don't say?"

"Holy shit on a stick!" Bentley suddenly exclaimed and lowered his head, pulling the hood further down on his face until only his elongated nose was sticking out through the opening. "Please don't tell me that guy by the bar is who I think it is!"

Curious, and slightly alarmed, both aye-ayes turned their heads around and tried to spot who Bentley recognized. Caleb was the first one who noticed the young bobcat sitting by the bar and emptily gaze down at a half-full pint of beer. He looked to be about 19-20 years old, a bit older than last time they saw him but there was no question about who it was: Samuel 'Sam' Young! When Priscilla saw and recognized him too, she quickly hissed out a low curse and pulled the brim of her hat down, popped the collar on her jacket and instinctively curled her tail in front of her feet.

"Guys..." Bentley said lowly and peeked up from under the hood. "I think we picked the wrong saloon..."

"Duh!" Caleb replied with a huff and frustratedly tried pressing his big, curly mess of hair down, but failed as it would always just fluff itself out again. He cursed the giant rhododendron on his head and slid further down in his seat, at least the others were able to WEAR stuff on their head that they could use to hide their identities under!

"Rango better be back soon!" Priscilla murmured under her breath and threw another glance at Sam, luckily he hadn't discovered them. He was too busy staring down at his drink. "If he spots us we're gonna have to run like hell! See anyone else we know?"

They all looked around the saloon once more, and drew a unified sigh of relief when they didn't see anyone else they knew right away. Priscilla threw another look at the young bobcat. He had always been a quiet and solemn fella, but now he seemed more sad and lonely. She couldn't help but to feel a bit sorry for him, after all, he had very good reason to feel that way; Sam and Isabelle, the mayors daughter whom Rango the bountyhunter and his men murdered, had been close. VERY close! On top of that, he had joined Rangos gang in hopes of finding the killer, who he thought was Blake. He had trusted Rango, and to find out that it after all was HIS fault that Isabelle was dead, well, Sam didn't take it very well.

And then there were his encounter with one of the Gajerras. He was lucky to have survived running into a frenzied Francisco Gajerra, but it had left him in a shocked state for a couple of days, and even after he recovered, he STILL couldn't tell them what happened! But then again, who DIDN'T the Gajerras scar for life?

He, if anyone, carried a huge grudge towards Rango and his men, and yet he had warned them when a cavalry had been sent out for them, and for some reason he hadn't told anyone about Priscillas involvement with the gang. She had yet to know the reason why. At first she though it probably had something to do with favors, but she had never heard anything from him for three years, hell, she didn't even know if he was alive until now!

The little gang jolted when the bobcat finished his beer in one single sweep and slammed the empty pint down on the counter. He rummaged around in the pocket of the trenchcoat he was wearing and threw some money to the bartender before sliding down from the barchair he was sitting on.

"Ya had enough already, Sam?" The bartender, a fancy dressed magpie, asked.

Sam quietly picked up his hat from the counter and put it on his head. "Nah, my break is over... Gotta go back to the office before Adams fire me"

The magpie nodded understandingly and put the money in the front pocket of his apron until he could deposit it in the cashier. "I reckon I see ya 'ere later t'night then?"

"I guess I have to..." Sam replied with a shrug. "Or else you'll fire me too!"

"You're damn right I will!" The bartender magpie chuckled and picked the empty pint up with his wing as Sam walked towards the swinging doors.

As the young bobcat passed them, the trio lowered their heads even further and stared down at the tables worn surface. Luckily, he never noticed them and instead just walked straight forward to the street and vanished down the street. The trio drew another unified sigh of relief as they finally could relax again.

"Rango better be here soon!" Priscilla said once more. "I hate havin' to hide like this! It's embarrassin'!"

Caleb nodded in agreement. "As if being forced to hang 'round with you guys ain't bad enough!"

"Not now, Caleb!" She growled warningly at the teen and turned to Bentley with a worried frown. Guilt was written all over his face, but she still asked him what was wrong.

He slowly shook his head and turned away. "Nothin'..." He mumbled.

But she knew what it was; he felt guilty for being one of the men who murdered Isabella, framed Rattlesnake-Blake for the murder and lied to Sam, straight in the face! Priscilla sighed and threw a quick look at the swinging doors, hoping that Rango any second would come in through them. There wasn't much she could do for Bentley now anyway, except making him feel worse.

…

Rango arrived about twenty minutes later, nervously looking over his shoulder by almost every step he took. The rest of the gang noticed his behavior, and it was the first thing Priscilla asked about as soon as he had taken a seat by the table with the others.

"I-I think I saw that kid in the post office" The chameleon gulped. "S-Sam, or whatever his name was?"

The trio nodded and exchanged glances. "Yeah... We saw him too..." Priscilla said lowly. "He was at the bar just twenty minutes ago"

"So, you got the tickets?" Caleb muttered impatiently and looked at the exit. "We're done here? We can leave now, right?" Rango nodded and patted the chest pocket on his vest, where the tickets were. "Good! Then let's get the heck outta here b'fore we DO get in trouble!"

In agreement, everyone got up from their chairs and strolled out. They went to fetch their roadrunners and followed the streets back out into the pine forest.

"And now..." Caleb said as soon as they arrived to a clearing, where a small creek passed through. "We play the waitin' game! Which I despise!"

"An' y'ain't the only one" Priscilla sighed and jumped down from Birdie. "Bentley, can ya go tie the birds up? I'll go fill up our canteens"

Bentley instantly nodded and grabbed the four birds reins to tie them up by the creek, while Priscilla relieved the canteens from the saddles and walked over to the creek with them.

"Y'know, that won't really be necessary..." Caleb pointed out and arched a skeptical eyebrow at her. "We ain't exactly gonna be travel by foot to River Town"

"Y'know, water is just like a revolver..." She said and kneeled down by the waters edge. She threw a look back at Caleb and arched an eyebrow of her own. "I'd rather carry it along without needin' it, than find myself needin' it an' not have it" When the teen didn't reply, she smirked and began filling the half-empty bottles up with the clear water.

When she was done, and all the canteens were filled to the brim with cool spring water, she stood up and stuffed them back down into the saddlebags before joining the others.

"Great... We've got a whole three hours of NOTHIN' ahead of us!" Caleb complained and folded his arms as he leaned back against a tree. "Please, remind me why I'm doing this!"

"Actually..." Bentley said and began to scratch one of his ears again. "It's only two hours left now!"

The teen rolled his eyes. "Well, whoopee-doo!"

…

An hour passed excruciatingly slowly. At least for Caleb. As soon as he was given the permission to take out the paperclips and wash the mud away, Bentley and Priscilla had out of boredom begun to play various games, like 'I Spy' and try to guess what's on their minds. Which got very boring after a while, as Bentley only spied pine trees and all that what's on his mind was Priscilla, which perhaps was a bit cute, but only the first five hundred times! Now, they were playing a sort of improvised and very silly version of patty cakes.

Rango was going through the plans for himself several times over, and was wondering about what they would do now when Bentley was in the gang as well. He still was a bit skeptical when it came to letting the hyena in on the plans, but seeing how much Priscilla trusted him, he felt somewhat forced to accept him as well. But the fact that Bentley was, or is still, a member of the Jenkins Gang still remained. Add that to being a wanted outlaw. He was probably on a poster in River Town as well!

Suddenly Caleb jolted when he heard the sound of a twig breaking somewhere in the woods. He went stiff and hissed at Bentley and Priscilla to be quiet. She was about to ask the teen why, but then she heard it, a sound that always made the hairs on her neck stand up and heart beat faster; the sound of a guns hammer being clicked back.

She got up from the stub she was sitting on and drew her two revolvers, all in one swift movement, just as several armed men emerged from behind the surrounding trees, probably about fifteen feet away. The other three quickly got up on their feet as well, but just as they put their hands on the handles of their revolvers, they heard a eerily familiar voice;

"Touch 'em canons, an' you're all dead b'fore ya know with hit'cha!" Sheriff Woodrow Call, a tall, old yet authority inducing, prairie dog stepped forth, his thumbs stuck inside his belt and with a serious expression on his face, he studied the small gang.

"H-howdy there, partner!" Sheriff Rango said with a nervous grin and waved with his hand. "F-fancy meetin' ya here! What brings us the honor?"

Priscilla threw a worried glance at Bentley, and got an equally scared look from him in return. They all knew very well why they were here; somebody must have recognized them anyway and alerted the sheriff! This did NOT look good!

"Ya know perfectly well what we want, sheriff Rango" The old prairie dog said and stepped closer to the gang. "One of you are wanted for the murder of Isabelle Lynx, our mayors daughter, an' we're here to arrest him!"

Priscilla instantly took a step between him and Bentley, pointing both of her guns at the sheriff. "If ya want him you'll have to go through me first!" She growled warningly, and felt all the armed men point their rifles at her and Bentley stiffen up beside her, drawing a frightened gasp through his nose.

"Can you please stop puttin' yourself in danger for my sake?" He winced at her, but she ignored him and kept her guns pointing at sheriff Call, her eyes narrowed and every muscle in her body was tense as spring.

Woodrow didn't seem impressed, instead he just scowled at the deputy. "I know for a fact that you, deputy, wouldn't look too good in front of a judge either; durin' these last years, you've made yourself guilty of harborin' a criminal..." He shifted his glance from Priscilla to Caleb, making the teen flinch. "An' you, first you're workin' for a big smuggler an' then ya left to join a gang of wanted outlaws, which immediately makes you an outlaw yourself. If we wanted to we could put you in a cell as well!" Caleb snorted in reply and folded his scrawny arms across his chest.

Sheriff Rango cleared his throat, attracting the other sheriffs attention. "Actually, I'd ask you to NOT put any of my companions in jail, for now! You see, we're on a rather important mission from Mr Murdoch, the owner of the Murdoch Trading Company, and I really can't do it without these three-..."

"We only want the hyena" Woodrow said seriously, interrupting the chameleon sheriff. "If y'all just give us the hyena without no fuss, I could consider lettin' the rest off the hook"

"Forget 'bout it, pal!" Priscilla hissed, but just as she was about to take a step towards the other sheriff, sheriff Rango stopped her by putting an arm in her path.

To add on to hers, and everybody else' surprise, he nodded. "It's alright, take him! We don't want any trouble!"

Calebs eyes nearly popped out of his skull and Priscilla stared in disbelief at sheriff Rango. "Wh-what're ya sayin'...?" She was paralyzed in shock, that is until sheriff Woodrow gave two of his men the orders to arrest Bentley. "Dont'cha DARE to touch him, jackasses!" She growled and was about to fire a warning-shot close to one of the mens ear when she found herself being held back by Rango himself. "An' YOU! How COULD ya-...?!"

Bentley took a step back and held his hands up in the air. "P-Prissy...? Wh-what's goin' on?"

"Easy there, Priss! It's gonna be alright, we can manage without him!" Rango said and struggled to keep his deputy from shooting the other deputies, or himself. When he was sure that nobody cared about them anymore, he leaned closer and whispered. "It's gonna be alright, for I have a plan!"

She stopped struggling and frowned. "What kind of plan?" She whispered back.

"The stupid and reckless kind"

She didn't answer, she just bit down on her lip as the men closed in on Bentley, one of them had a pair of heavy looking cuffs in his hands. He looked scared as he turned to Priscilla, his large ears drooping and his eyes abnormally large.

"I-It's alright..." She found herself able to say and managed to give him a faint smile. "Just follow them an' don't fight, Bentley!" She winked at him, and he whinced when he saw it.

He seemed to hesitate for a moment before deciding to trust her and the sheriff. His hands were shaking uncontrollably as he held them out in front of him, and flinched one more time as the cuffs were shackled onto his wrists. "Umm, a-are these things really necessary?" He asked nervously and got a cold look from one of the men.

"Yes!" Was the short reply he got before the rest of the men joined and made him go forward. He threw one last glance back at the the others before he was pushed forward again.

Priscilla holstered her guns again and had to dig her nails into her palms to stop herself from drawing them again and rush head-first to save him. She noticed the skeptical frown they got from sheriff Woodrow, but after Rango tapped the brim of his hat to the prairie dog, he did the same and left along with the men and Bentley. As soon as they were gone, Priscilla spun around and glared daggers at the chameleon, but didn't say anything.

"What the hell, man?!" Caleb exclaimed instead and walked with his arms out to the sheriff. "Sure, I think B is annoyin' as hell sometimes, but you can't just give him away like that!"

"Ya better have a damn good reason for this, sheriff!" Priscilla growled and put a hand on one of her revolvers again. "Or else..."

Sheriff Rango hurried to put his hands up in front of his face. "H-hey, don't worry! We're NOT gonna abandon him! I just thought it would be better to stay friends with the law as much as possible before the train arrives, besides; I did say I have a plan, didn't I?"

"Spill it!" Both of the aye-ayes spat in unison.

He felt the two pairs of large, yellow eyes burn as they watched him, angrily waiting to hear the promised plan. He swallowed nervously and grinned. "We leave the roadrunners, but under different names and just as the train arrives we free Bentley and runs away with the train!"

Caleb snorted and shook his head. "And just HOW do you suggest we free B, huh?"

"Oh... Yeah... Umm..." The sheriff murmured and thoughtfully scratched his chin. "I-I was hoping that we would come up with something along the way..."

Caleb groaned and slapped his palm on his forehead as Priscilla began grinding her teeth. She felt for screaming, but didn't want to risk scaring their roadrunners off. It was in times like these, when she seriously was thinking of getting a new job! She sighed and looked at the direction in which sheriff Woodrow has gone with Bentley, to Diego City. Someone must have recognized them and ratted them out, but she had a feeling that she knew exactly who it was, and may the lord have mercy on his soul when she'd get her hands on him...

**Yeah, kind of a cliffhanger, eh? I'll see whenever next chapter gets finished... I swear, my school is going crazy with all these essays and homework and just EVERYTHING -.-! They say everything will calm down towards the spring semester, and I really hope for their own sake that it's true...**

**Anyway, enough complaining from me :P! I really, really, really, REALLY hope shit will go down BEFORE chapter 15 :S! **

**See y'all next chappie ;P !**


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